Bi-weekly Situation Report
No. 4 (February 15, 2021 – February 28, 2021)

Purpose:

This bi-weekly report describes the updates and challenges related to the government’s relief response program, known as Dastarkhan-e-Meli, and health assistance in combating Covid-19 in Afghanistan.

Time Coverage: The report covers all the measures undertaken from February 15 to February 28, 2021, by the government in Afghanistan concerning health and humanitarian assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Situation Overview:

1. Covid-19 New Update:During this period, the official report indicates several new positive tests, recoveries, and deaths. Due to a weak health system and mismanagement, however, more people prefer home-based treatment. As a result, it has made it difficult to track the exact numbers of positive cases.

1. During the reporting period, four provinces such as Ghor, Paktia, Khost and Takhar received the donated Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccination process has also started in these provinces. On February 7, 2021, Afghanistan received the first-ever Indian AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.
2. Challenges in implementation of Datarkhan-e-Melli:
3. Kapisa province:
   1. Widespread problem is going on to screen the poor households across the Kapisa province and aid packages have been distributed quite unevenly. Families in need have not been identified in advance and according to report, authorities across the villages insist on aid distribution to everyone, both poor and rich, as a national process.
   2. In Nejrab district, Dastarkhan-e-Melli has been suspended due to security threats from the Taliban.
4. Takhar province:
   1. On February 23, the first round of Datarkhan-e-Melli started in Usta-esa, a village in the center of Taliqan of Takhar province. The program covered 52 families. Before, people received aid packages in Hazarsamoj, Baharak, Khaja-ghar, Dasht-e-Qala, Chah-Ab, Warsaj, and Namak-ab districts.
5. Laghman province:
   1. On February 24, Dastarkhan-e-Melli program resumed in two districts of Mehtarlam and Qargha-e in which six councils in Mehtarlam and seven more in Qargha-e district received aid package.