An official document delivered to the Presidential Palace in Kabul is thought to have infected staff, many of whom began feeling unwell and were tested earlier this month, according to a senior health official. "A contaminated document was sent to an office inside the palace from another government department and that's how the employees were infected," the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus has been known to disproportionately affect older people and result in much higher mortality rates within that demographic. Afghanistan - already battling shortages of food and medicine while violent clashes with the Taliban continue - had recorded 933 positive cases of coronavirus as of Saturday. The Afghan health ministry has warned that unless containment measures are improved throughout the war-torn country, Afghanistan is heading for a catastrophe and millions would be infected.

Source: Dhaka Tribune April 18, 2020 10:52 UTC