KABUL, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry has registered 235 new COVID-19 positive cases over the past 24 hours, totaling the number of patients infected with the virus to 2,704, spokesman for the ministry Wahidullah Mayar said on Sunday.
According to Mayar, 581 suspected patients have been tested and of these 235 have proved positive, specifying that out of the newly confirmed cases, 65 are in Kabul, 54 in southern Kandahar, 19 in the western Herat and the remaining are in other provinces of the country.
The spokesman warned of catastrophe if the rule and regulations put in place are overlooked during quarantine and lockdown of cities especially in the capital Kabul, a city with nearly 6 million population, poor sanitation and poverty.
Mayar also confirmed that 12 patients had died of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the number of deaths to 85 since the outbreak of the disease in Afghanistan.
According to Mayar, 345 patients have recovered since February in the country.
However, Mayar expressed concern over the fast spread of the coronavirus, calling upon people to cooperate with the government in curbing the pandemic by staying at home during the quarantine period.
The Afghan government imposed lockdown in cities including Kabul in early March and extended it till the end of May.
Earlier, Afghan Public Health Minister Firozuddin Firoz warned that the virus could claim some 110,000 lives in the insurgency-battered country if the advices given by the health ministry and partner entities are ignored. Enditem
