Doctor in Afghanistan dies due to coronavirus, country's COVID-19 toll at 18

A doctor at the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kabul died due to coronavirus, the Public health ministry announced on Sunday.

The doctor has been identified as Yusuf Aryubi, Tolo News reported.

Afghanistan on Sunday reported 52 new cases of coronavirus, taking the number of cases in Afghanistan to 607. Eighteen people including two health workers have succumbed to the disease.

Afghanistan's Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz in late March expressed concerns that unless drastic measures were taken, the country's tattered healthcare system may not be able to prevent up to 80 percent of the population from contracting the virus and as much as 110,000 people dying.

In late March, authorities ordered a lockdown in capital city Kabul where most cases are concentrated.