Afghanistan: Nearly 40,000 vaccinated daily against COVID, says UNICEF representative

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in Afghanistan, Salam Al-Janabi informed Sputnik that nearly 40,000 individuals in the nation are getting vaccinated on a daily basis after a COVID-19 vaccination campaign began in 14 of the nation's 32 provinces from the mid of October. The UNICEF's representative further assured that the other remaining provinces would start distributing the COVID vaccine shots within the next 2 to 3 days. 

Quoting Al-Janabi, ANI reported, "UNICEF and partners are supporting a massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign targeting people in urban locations. This campaign started on October 16 in 14 Provinces. It started in the Southern region a day later." 

He went on to say that the mass COVID vaccine drive will continue until all 1.8 million Johnson & Johnson doses in stock are utilised. 

COVID vaccination in Afghanistan

Al-Janabi further added that Afghanistan has obtained around 5.25 million shots of various vaccinations via the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility and bilateral donations. Furthermore, Al-Janabi informed that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 155,985 recorded incidents of COVID-19 in Afghanistan, with 7,257 fatalities. A total number of 2,925,490 vaccination doses had been given out as of October 23, according to UNICEF's representative, Sputnik reported.  

Meanwhile, earlier the World Health Organization Afghanistan revealed on Twitter that the COVID-19 testing and immunisation had decreased in the war-torn country since August after The Taliban took control of the capital city Kabul. Additionally, WHO stated that around 1.6 million vaccination doses would expire if not utilised. 

'3.2 million Afghan children under the age of five will be suffering from acute malnutrition'

Furthermore, UNICEF cautioned on October 5 that by the end of 2021, approximately 3.2 million Afghan children under the age of five will be suffering from acute malnutrition. The warning was raised by UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, Hervé Ludovic De Lys, and World Food Programme (WFP) Afghanistan Representative and Country Director, Mary-Ellen McGroarty, after a two-day visit to the city of Herat. According to UN authorities, nearly a million Afghan children are in danger of dying unless they receive prompt care. 

Approximately 14 million people in the war-torn country are food insecure, according to the UN agency. As per surveys, 95% of Afghan families do not consume enough food, and grownups are eating less and missing meals to allow their children to eat more. 

(Image: AP)