US pledges $36.7M for COVID-19 response in Afghanistan

The United States has set aside more than $36.7 million to aid the Afghanistan response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as expedited $90 million in the continued development assistance through the World Bank to support the war-torn country's national health and education sectors and local government needs, according to local media.

According to a statement put out by the US embassy in Kabul on Thursday, the funding builds on resources which were previously announced by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the COVID-19 response in Afghanistan.

"The entirety of this US funding comes at a critical moment when Afghanistan is dealing with the effects of COVID-19. We must all work quickly to prevent the further spread of COVID-19; attend to the sick; put people back to work; and protect vulnerable women and children, who can become victims of rising domestic violence in these kinds of situations," said Ross Wilson, the US charge d'affaires in Kabul according to a Tolo News report on Saturday.

The $90 million fund will be made available by the World Bank for continued education and health services during the pandemic. This will enable Community Development Councils which are led by citizens, to meet sanitation and infrastructure needs. It will also support the health sector in maintaining emergency services and strengthening testing, disease surveillance, and treatment.

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health has so far reported 35,615 cases of COVID-19 in the country. It has also reported 1,186 deaths and 23,739 recoveries countrywide based on the data collected by the ministry.

However, Tolo News reported that the numbers are believed to be much higher as there is no lockdown and many businesses have reopened countrywide. 

-ANI

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