Documents seen by ToloNews indicate that at least 20 employees of the Presidential Palace in Kabul have tested positive for the coronavirus out of 517 samples examined.

Quoting sources, the Afghan TV channel reported that ten groups of medics from the Public Health Ministry have begun taking samples from other officials and staff members of the Presidential Palace after the cases were identified.

Doctors said there is a need for more test kits, as testing will slow the spread of the virus in the country. “We will get the best results if we have enough kits,” said Assadullah Esmat, head of the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kabul. “By testing more people, we can find patients who have the virus while it is in its incubation period.”

“Our teams have increased in Kabul and they collect samples from anywhere they get a report, (of a suspected case),” said Nizamuddin Jalil, head of Kabul hospitals, a department of the Ministry of Public Health.

555 cases, 18 deaths reported

The number of positive cases of the coronavirus in Afghanistan reached 555 after the Ministry of Public Health reported 34 new cases on Saturday, warning people to stay at home.

Addressing a press conference in Kabul, Wahid Majroh, an adviser of the Public Health Ministry, said the 34 cases include 8 in Kabul, 8 in Herat, 5 in Kandahar, 4 in Nimroz, 4 in Wardak, 2 in Balkh, one in Ghor, one in Baghlan and one in Badghis.

He confirmed the two deaths at the Afghan-Japan Hospital in Kabul on Friday evening. The hospital is the only treatment centre for COVID-19 patients in Kabul. The two men were aged 37 and 65 years old. Sources said one of them had infected 12 members of his family with the coronavirus.

Majroh said the number of people seeking admission to hospitals has increased and added that millions will be infected with the coronavirus if the lockdown is not taken seriously.

On Friday, photos of three men lying unconscious on Kabul streets were widely shared on social media with people criticizing the government for not taking proper measures, especially on public awareness.

Majroh said the samples of these men have been sent for testing and that the result will be made clear later.