The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday announced the delivery of advanced diagnostic kits to Afghanistan to help the Afghan Ministry of Public Health detect and prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Afghan government has said that the first shipment will arrive in the country on March 4, and healthcare experts from the UAE will also come to help set up the operation.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, the kits will help Afghanistan deal with a possible increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
The price of the kits is estimated at $3.5 million.
Many suspected cases have been reported in Herat province, which borders Iran. Based on the statistics of Herat’s public health directorate, out of 60 total suspected cases of the coronavirus, one case has tested positive, 35 cases have tested negative, and the results of the remaining cases are still pending.
The one case that is confirmed in Herat is a 35-year-old Afghan man who had traveled from Qom city in Iran.
Other suspected cases have been reported in Helmand, Logar and Balkh province.
President Ghani last week ordered the Finance Ministry to provide $15M to the Ministry of Public Health to fund coronavirus prevention efforts.
The government also allocated $10M to the health ministry as a reserve.
