Afghanistan announces first confirmed case of coronavirus in the country

Afghanistan has reportedly confirmed its first case of coronavirus, Afghanistan’s minister of public health, Ferozuddin Feroz, revealed in a conference in Kabul to the international media. The three suspected cases were confirmed by the health officials of Afghanistan in the Western province of Herat out of which one tested positive, confirmed reports.

A state of emergency has reportedly been declared in the region as the country shares its borders with Iran where the cases of COVID-19 continue to spike rapidly raising concerns. In a bid to curb the contagion spread, Turkey, Jordan, and Pakistan have also sealed their borders with neighboring Iran that has confirmed at least 8 deaths from the novel coronavirus.

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Afghanistan imposes travel ban to and from Iran

According to the reports, Afghanistan, had imposed travel ban to and from Iran over fears of the spread of disease. The office of National Security Council of Afghanistan had said in a statement that the government had suspended all movement, both air and ground, to and from Iran in order to protect its citizens over mounting fears of the disease epidemic.

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Meanwhile, Taiwan has confirmed two new cases of the novel coronavirus as of February 24, bringing the island's total number of confirmed cases to 28, as per reports. The two patients, a father and his son in their 80s and 50s respectively, did not have a recent travel history with China but contracted the virus via human to human transmission confirmed the Central Epidemic Command Centre in an international media report.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told the media during a meeting with government officials held in Beijing yesterday that novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic was a major 'public health emergency' with the fastest spread, the widest range of infections, and the most difficult to prevent and control in China.

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