"I heard from people and the internet that the source of this virus comes from an atomic bomb that has leaked somehow," said Abdul Qader in a narrow alley of Kabul's busy Bird Street market while a crowd that has gathered around him nods.

In Afghanistan the education system has been gutted by four decades of conflict.

Literacy is below 32 percent, so the government knows countering novel coronavirus misinformation is an uphill battle, though it is trying.

Posters that rely heavily on visual cues have been plastered on walls around the country.

Television ads also inform people how to avoid coronavirus and halt its spread while in rural areas, where there is little television coverage, the message is relayed through radio.  

Hospitals wings have also been made ready across the country in case a major outbreak occurs.

"We have made preparations for 100 patients and in case of an increase we are prepared for more," said Dr. Mohammad Khan Hedayat, head of COVID-19 case management at Kabul's Afghan-Japan Hospital.

The government hospital normally treats HIV, tuberculosis and malaria patients, who have been transferred to other clinics so the entire complex can be on standby for coronavirus.

"Apart from here we have another hospital with a capacity of 150 patients. That's for plan B and even if the second hospital won't be enough then we have a third hospital in our plan," Dr. Hedayat said.

Coronavirus has been reported in Herat, near the border in Iran, which is battling a significant outbreak and also now in the capital Kabul.

The government has closed the land border with Iran, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus outside of China, with about 6,000 cases.

Afghanistan has also canceled all flights in and out of Iran, though it is estimated about 3,000 people cross the border illegally every day.

The Afghan-Japan Hospital, which was established with funding and equipment from Japan, has one of only two laboratories in Afghanistan capable of testing for coronavirus.

"Right now the testing standard is 10 to 12, more that 12 is too tough," explained laboratory specialist Dr. Zabihullah as he stands next to the new equipment that will greatly expand that capability.

Dr. Zabihullah lifted the red Perspex lid of one of the new machines.

"We can put samples from 96 patients in at the same time. We give the command through the computer to this and it does its work automatically, going step by step, analyzing one sample at a time."

It will greatly expand testing capacity, though it would still mean that Afghanistan falls well short of countries like China and South Korea that can test thousands of people every day.

Back on Bird Street people are worried, and not just about strange things people have read on the internet.  

Abdul Qader may have some unique ideas about how the virus first began, but he, like all Afghans, is aware that after four decades of endless war the country's broader healthcare system is in tatters.

"Of course, the concerns of people are high about this virus because Afghanistan doesn't have the capacity to take measures for a cure. We don't have enough hospitals and facilities to take care of this. Many people live in Afghanistan, and I believe that if more people come to Afghanistan the threat will get higher and many people will die," he said

(Cover image: A knife sharpener wears a face mask on Bird Street. Jack Barton/CGTN)