Bi-weekly Situation Report
No. 8 (April 16, 2021 – April 30, 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 April 16, 2021 to April 30, 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 a sharp increase in the number of positive cases, 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, almost all provinces have received the Covid-19 vaccines. So far, mostly the government employees, including teachers, doctors, NGOs’ employees, security forces, and common public have been vaccinated. However, the implementation still faces rumors about the side effects of the vaccines. For example, in Paktia, Ghor, Logar, and Bamiyan provinces, the public have shown little interest to be vaccinated due to the reason mentioned above.

Therefore, to encourage all to be vaccinated, the government should start and extend public awareness campaign on the needs of the vaccine and its safety.

19. As the graph above shows a sharp increase in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the country, most Covid-19 health centers across the provinces are either understaff or have poor health services. In April 24, 2021, in Takhar province, all 84 available clinics were closed as health workers in those clinics protested because they had not been paid for several months. In addition, Herat province, bordering with Iran, is at the frontline of the pandemic and is suffering from lack of health staff across the Covid-19 hospitals. Finally, doctors across the hospitals in Jawzjan province have not been paid over the past five months, with lack of ventilators in the province, together undermining public access to health services amid the third wave of Covid-19.
20. Dastarkhan-e-Melli Update:

1. Security threats posed by the Taliban have been a critical issue to the implementation of Dastarkhan-e- Melli.

Lack of budget in some provinces such as Herat and Nimroz provinces