COVID-19 Epidemiological Bulletin, Afghanistan - Epidemiological Week 25 (19 – 25 June 2022)
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- Afghanistan
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- WHO
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Highlights of the week
Since the beginning of the pandemic in Feb 2020, a total of 623,616 samples have been tested for COVID-19 through the public laboratories in the country.
In week 25-2022, 5,572 samples were tested in public labs, of which 498 samples tested positive for COVID-19 (percent positivity 9) and 4 new deaths were reported. This represents 4% decrease and 33% increase in cases and deaths, respectively, compared to week 24-2022, (Table 1).
Cumulatively, 182,168 confirmed cases (overall percent positivity 29.2) of COVID-19 with 7,717 associated deaths (case fatality ratio = 4.2%) have been reported in Afghanistan since Feb 2020.
As of 25th June 2022, 90.1 %, of cases have recovered.
In week 25-2022, the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases were reported in the Central West and East regions (120 and 118 cases, respectively) (Table 2). The top five provinces that reported positive cases included Nangarhar (103 cases), Parwan (92 cases), Kapisa (45 cases), Paktya (26 cases), and Kunduz (25 cases).
The WHO supported building the in-country capacity for genome sequencing, after training of two national staff on sequencing techniques in Dubai (December 2021). The WHO supported the procurement of the Oxford Nanopore Sequencer with the reagents and consumables. Initially, the plan is to conduct genome sequencing for COVID-19, with a plan to expand it to include other high-threat pathogens. The team is currently working on processing the COVID-19 samples for sequencing, the results will be shared when available.