The Ministry of Public Health on Sunday evening confirmed that a man in Balkh died of coronavirus three days ago.
Khalilullah Hekmati, head of Balkh’s public health directorate, said the result of the man’s coronavirus test came back positive today.
The man died in Chemtal district, in the northern province of Balkh, and his case is the only one to be reported so far in the province.
Hekmati said that the family of the man moved to a Taliban-influenced area in Zare district after they laid the man into rest.
The report comes one hour after the Ministry of Public Health confirmed that a man in the western province of Herat, who was suspected of being infected with the coronavirus, died shortly after he was admitted to the regional hospital in Herat dedicated to COVID-19 patients.
This might be the second coronavirus death in Afghanistan, if confirmed.
The ministry said in a statement that the man visited a hospital in Herat because he was suffering from heart disease, but after showing signs of COVID-19 he was taken to the coronavirus treatment center in the province.
Afghanistan so far has reported 34 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
The ministry said a COVID-19 test and an autopsy will determine whether the Herat man had contracted the coronavirus, or had died of heart disease.
The result of the test will be made public on Monday, the statement said.
