Hospitals turn away new Covid patients

KABUL: The two main hospitals treating people with Covid-19 in Afghanistan have had to close their doors to new patients because of a lack of beds, a senior health official and doctors said yesterday.

Afghanistan is grappling with a third wave of the pandemic, with a record number of infections and deaths being reported amid a surge in violence as Us-led international forces withdraw and Taliban insurgents go on the offensive.

The official said the two hospitals, both in the capital Kabul, were facing persistent shortages of oxygen and other medical supplies.

Dr Masi Noori, from the Afghan Japan hospital, said it had closed to new patients for several days because it had run out of beds. Afghanistan yesterday reported 1804 new Covid19 cases and 71 deaths.