At least 21 COVID-19 care centers have been closed across the country within the past six months due to financial issues, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said on Monday.  

Numbers of patients infected by the new variants of the virus are now on the rise. 

The MoPH warned of a rapid increase of COVID-19 if the international community did not provide support to overcome the new wave of the virus.  

“If the COVID-19 centers, also the centers for drug addicts, are not reactivated in the provinces and districts, the health sector in Afghanistan may deteriorate,” said Javid Hajir, a spokesman for the MoPH. 

According to Hajir, 36 COVID-19 care centers were active before the fall of the former government, but at least 21 of them are closed now because of a lack of equipment and financial issues.  

The MoPH also reported 479 cases recorded in 16 of 34 provinces over the last 24 hours.   

The Afghan-Japan Hospital, the main COVID-19 treatment center, said the number of patients it recorded within the past week increased by 80 percent compared to the previous week. 

“The number of patients infected by COVID-19 has increased by around 80 percent,” said Ibadullah Ibad, a doctor at the Afghan-Japan Hospital.  

As the country is sruggling with a fractured economic state, citizens are less careful to follow the necessary recommendations to overcome the threat of COVID-19. 

“I call on the government to consider the COVID-19 problems in this cold winter,” said Mohammad Kabir, a resident of Kabul.  

The latest variants of Covid-19, Omicron and Delta, have raised worldwide concerns. The Afghan health sector said earlier that it lacks access to the kits to test Omicron and therefore it uses the kits designed for previous COVID-19 strains.