20 Afghan presidential palace staff members test positive for coronavirus

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani has reportedly limited most of his contact with staff to digital communication as at least 20 officials working at his palace have been tested positive for coronavirus. A senior health official reportedly said that an official document delivered to the Presidential Palace in Kabul has infected staff. While speaking to an international media outlet, the health official said that a containment document was sent to the office inside the palace from another government department and that is how the employees were infected. 

The official added that some of the employees were still working in their offices when the result came out and the authorities had to quarantine them and their families. He also said that the number of infected people could be higher. Meanwhile, Ghani’s spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi said that the Civil Service Commission has already asked government employees to stay at home before the tests were conducted. Sediqqi added that order has also been extended for another three weeks. 

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India ships wheat, HCQ to Afghanistan

Currently, Afghanistan has more than 900 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 30 lives in the country. Meanwhile, in a bid to help Afghanistan and ensure food security, India shipped the first consignment of 5,022 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat and further also plans to ship more in the days to follow. India also sent 1,00,000 paracetamol and 5,00,000 anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine tablets to the country. 

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Afghanistan's Health Minister, Ferozuddin Feroz, had earlier expressed concerns about the country’s healthcare system in shackles that might fail to administer patients in case 80 per cent of the population got infected. It sought help stating that at least 1,10,000 people in Afghanistan might succumb to the deadly COVID-19 disease.

Meanwhile, coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 156,000 lives worldwide as of April 18. According to the tally by an international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 210 countries and territories and has infected more than two million people. Out of the total infections, more than 582,000 have recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries including Spain, and the economy is struggling. 

(Image source: AP) 

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