On Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said that Afghanistan is at a “crisis point” in terms of surge of Covid19 cases. The country has reported a 2,400% surge in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the past month. Afghanistan is witnessing its worst Covid-19 wave since the start of the pandemic. The curve of total active infection cases and related deaths in Afghanistan is showing an exponential rise. More than a third of Covid-19 tests last week came back positive, said ICRC.

In a statement released by the ICRC, Nilab Mobarez, acting president of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, said, “Afghanistan is at a crisis point in the battle to contain Covid-19 as hospital beds are full to capacity in the capital Kabul and in many areas.”

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Afghanistan’s health infrastructure has already been strained due to decades of war and violence. The pressure on it due to the latest surge in Covid19 cases has risen in recent months with the gradual withdrawal of US troops. Mobarez warned that the Covid19 surge is rapidly spiralling out of control. The surge, Mobarez stated, is adding huge pressures on the country’s fragile health system with millions of people living in poverty.

She added, “We fear that we are just a heartbeat away from the kind of horror that we have already seen in countries like India and Nepal.”

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On Thursday, Afghan health authorities registered 2,313 new Covid-19 cases and a record 101 deaths from the infection in the last 24 hours (as reported on Thursday). Officials and experts have said that low testing means those official figures are probably a dramatic undercount. Additionally, Afghanistan is also dealing with a vaccine shortfall exacerbated by a high level of hesitancy. Less than 0.5% of the Afghan-population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

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Necephor Mghend is the head of Afghanistan country delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). In a statement, he said, “Covid-19 is another cruel blow for millions of Afghans already dealing with the constant threat of violence, displacement, food insecurity and poverty. We are seeing large numbers of people having to make terrible choices between finding a way to feed their families and growing risks of getting sick.”