A consignment of AstraZeneca, donated by France to Afghanistan, was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health on Sunday.

The shipment includes 144,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which was donated through Kovacs.

Representing the Afghan government, Wazhma Salemi, Deputy Minister of Finance, thanked France for its assistance and said vaccinating the people against COVID-19 was the most effective way to reduce the number of infections.

Salemi added that this consignment of vaccine would be be used for the second round of vaccines for people who have already had their first shot.

She said coronavirus is a global problem and requires public mobilization. She called on all international partners and countries to cooperate with Afghanistan in the fight against the virus.

On the other hand, Thomas Guibert, Chargé d’Affaires of the French Embassy in Kabul, said that France decided to help after the start of the deadly third wave in the country.

Guibert added that his country has also cooperated with Afghan doctors in the field of vocational training, which will continue in the future.

This comes after the Afghan government also recently took delivery of vaccines from the United States, China, Sweden and India.

The Afghan government announced Saturday that the ministries of public health, higher education and education have agreed that class-based lectures for university and college students will gradually resume over the next two weeks.

The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) said that the first step will see all students and teaching staff get COVID-19 vaccines before classes resume.

“Class-based lessons will restart gradually at all institutions registered with the MoHE,” said Hamid Obaidi, spokesman for the MoHE adding that classes will first resume in provinces that have a low coronavirus infection rate.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said that school examinations will start during this solar month.

According to the ministry, a decision has yet to be made on resuming classroom lessons for school students.

“The examination process will take time because we want to hold exams in many shifts to avoid large gatherings,” said Najiba Arian, a spokeswoman for the MoE.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said that the impact of people having travelled around the country over Eid al-Adha will also determine the COVID-19 situation within the next week.

This comes after the MoPH reported 32 deaths as a result of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours across Afghanistan.

The MoPH said 203 new infections were registered in the mentioned time.

Tokyo Olympics organisers on Sunday reported three new cases of COVID-19 infection among athletes, up from one new case a day earlier, as the population of the athlete’s village swells ahead of the start of the pandemic-hit Games next week.

Organisers reported 10 new cases connected to the Olympics including media, contractors and other personnel, down from 15 on Saturday.

An International Olympic Committee member from South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus on landing in Tokyo. Ryu Seung-min, a former Olympic athlete, is vaccinated, reflecting the infection risk even from vaccinated attendees.

Infection rates are climbing among the general population of the capital, topping 1,000 new cases for four consecutive days. Polls show many Japanese oppose holding the Games with the influx of overseas visitors it entails.