Afghanistan running out of oxygen as surge worsens

Afghanistan's is racing to increase supplies of oxygen as a deadly third surge of COVID-19 worsens, a senior official said. The government is installing oxygen supply plants in 10 provinces where up to 65% of those tested in some areas are COVID positive. By WHO recommendations, anything higher than 5% shows officials aren’t testing widely enough, allowing the virus to spread unchecked. Hospitals are rationing their oxygen supplies. On Saturday, the country received 900 oxygen cylinders from Iran, part of 3,800 cylinders Tehran promised to deliver to Kabul last week. Since the pandemic outbreak, Afghanistan has reported 101,906 positive cases and 4,122 deaths.