Coronavirus cases rise to 5 in Afghanistan, confirms Health Ministry

One positive case of the deadly coronavirus was registered in northern Samangan province, the Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday, which brings the total number of confirmed cases in Afghanistan to five, Tolo News reported.

The five patients have been taken to an isolation ward and are being treated, the ministry said.

The previous four positive cases of the infection were registered in western Herat province of Afghanistan. Herat borders neighbouring Iran, which is one of the countries worst affected by coronavirus outside of China, with more than 7,000 cases and dozens of deaths.

On Sunday, public health minister of the country Ferozuddin Feroz said that a 200-bed hospital in Kabul, another hospital in Herat and the third one in Nimroz province has been established for the potential coronavirus patients. He said more hospitals will be established in other provinces if needed.

According to him, 30,000 kits have been provided by the United Arab Emirates for dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and 20,000 are likely to arrive soon.

This comes as Herat's refugees and repatriation directorate said on Tuesday that the number of Afghan refugees repatriated from Iran--a coronavirus hotspot--has doubled over the last two weeks, with "hundreds of thousands of refugees" crossing the border at Islam Qala every day.