Vaccine campaign now open for everyone over 18

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) announced Monday all people above the age of 18 can now receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Ministry said that people can visit ten vaccination centers in Kabul – Indira Gandhi Hospital; Jamhuriat Hospital; Istiqlal Hospital; 102-bed Hospital in Khairkhana; 100-bed Hospital in Dasht-e-Barchi; Ahmad Shah Baba Hospital; Tani Kut and Sar-e-Kotal Hospitals; Kabul central polyclinic hospitals, and Kabul regional clinic, Hutkhel.

MoPH officials said that pregnant women and people under the age of 18 will not be vaccinated.

Afghanistan started the rollout of its vaccine drive in early February after India donated 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The MoPH stated that 15,781 people have received a dose of vaccine in the last 24 hours.

According to the Ministry’s tally, so far, 145,291 people – including 27,516 teachers and 77,919 health workers – have been vaccinated since the beginning of the vaccine campaign.

Meanwhile, the MoPH has recorded 122 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

The MoPH’s tally shows that 57,364 people in Afghanistan have been infected with the virus since the first case detected in Herat last year.

So far, 2,529 have died of the virus, and 52,005 others have recovered.