The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday announced 32 new cases of the coronavirus in Herat, putting the total cases to 74 in Afghanistan.

The new cases were reported hours after the Minister of Public Health Ferozuddin Feroz in a press conference on Tuesday cited estimates saying that half of the country's population may become infected with COVID-19.

Feroz said that if the necessary measures are taken, the risk of getting the virus will be reduced, otherwise--based on these predictions--more than 100,000 Afghan citizens are likely to die from the virus.

The Ministry of Public Health has reported that one person has died in the country as a result of the coronavirus, and there are forty-two other confirmed cases.

“According to WHO (World Health Organization) predictions, there is the possibility of 16 million people becoming infected with the virus,” said Feroz.