COVID-19
COVID testing and vaccinations drop across Afghanistan
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that since August there has been a drop in COVID-19 testing and vaccinations and that around 1.6 million doses of vaccine could expire if not used quickly.
To address this, WHO and partners are boosting testing and supporting the rollout of a vaccination campaign in 16 provinces, the organization said.
WHO recently flew 50,000 COVID-19 tests to Afghanistan to fill gaps at labs. 150,000 more are in the pipeline.
A microscope lab was meanwhile completed in Nimroz province last month and in Kunar on Tuesday.
Labs in Parwan, Laghman and Kapisa are also underway.
When complete there will be 36 WHO-supported COVID labs in Afghanistan.
Since August, WHO has sent life-saving medicines and medical supplies to 360 health facilities in Afghanistan to cover the health needs of 3.9 million people.
On Wednesday, supplies were sent to two hospitals in Kabul and WHO provincial offices for onward distribution. The supplies will cover the health needs of 50,000 people in Afghanistan, the organization stated.