The Kazakh authorities have extended the quarantine regime due to the coronavirus pandemic from July 20 to August 2, promising to pay financial assistance of 42,500 tenge ($100). World Health Organization experts will visit Kazakhstan to study the COVID-19 situation. Earlier, the Chinese Embassy had claimed unidentified disease spread in Kazakhstan with mortality rate higher than that of COVID-19. Read "Kazakhstan denies 'unknown pneumonia' outbreak". The republic's Ministry of Health reported that the cause of infection was "community-acquired pneumonia". The situation is aggravated by the shortage of drugs and ventilators.
The lockdown announced by the government in early July has been extended from July 20 to August 2. "In order to further stabilize the epidemiological situation, we have decided to extend restrictive measures in the republic for another two weeks," Prime Minister of the Republic Askar Mamin wrote on Facebook. On July 5, restrictions were introduced for 14 days. However, the number of people infected with coronavirus and "community-acquired pneumonia" has begun to rise sharply. Over the past day, 1,759 new cases were registered, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Health. The total number of COVID-19 infections in the republic exceeds 63.5 thousand, the number of recovered patients exceeds 38 thousand. The COVID-19 death toll in the country reached 396 people. These statistics do not include the deaths of people who tested positive for COVID-19. Other diseases were indicated as the cause of their death. There are more than 100 such people. Those who died from severe pneumonia are not included in the statistics. WHO Health Emergencies Programme head Michael Ryan believes that "most likely it was the same COVID-19."
WHO representatives are in no hurry to draw conclusions. A representative mission of an international organization will arrive in the republic to find out the reasons for the increase in pneumonia cases. This was announced by head of the WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan Caroline Clarinval. "Yes, the number of cases of pneumonia has increased since the beginning of June, and we have been instructed to look into the situation. The Ministry of Health is also doing this. These messages have attracted a lot of media attention, but we, before making conclusions, must collect data and analyse them," Clarinval said in an interview with the UN website.
In the meantime, catering and service industries are closed again in the republic, all transport services are stopped. People continue losing their jobs. The government will pay benefits to low-income Kazakhs in the amount of 42,500 tenge in July, President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev wrote on Twitter.
At the end of June, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Birzhan Nurymbetov said that after Kazakh people were paid a social benefit of 42,500 tenge due to the state of emergency, the issue of the state social insurance fund's stability arose in Kazakhstan. Therefore, such payments to citizens are no longer planned.
On July 5, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, refuting the information that Kazakhstan will pay 75 thousand tenge to citizens during the period of increased quarantine, said: "At present, restrictive measures are being strengthened. In this regard, there is no legal basis for making payments."
Social benefits in the amount of 42,500 tenge were paid to Kazakh people within two months in the spring - during the period of the state of emergency. It was appointed as the income of the population declined. According to the Ministry of Labor, it was received by 4.5 million citizens in the first month of the state of emergency. And by over 2 million citizens - during the second month.
At the last meeting of the government, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev acknowledged the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases and stressed: "We are now at war." The problem is aggravated by the fact that there is a shortage of drugs to treat coronavirus and pneumonia in the country. Supply monitoring launched by Kazakhstani volunteers shows that many pharmacies in the country have not received a number of coronavirus-related drugs for more than a month while they are being stored in warehouses. Tokayev called for an investigation and prosecution of all those responsible. Earlier, he fired head of the Social Insurance Fund Aybatyr Zhumagulov and chairperson of the 'SK-Pharmacy' company Berik Sharip.
However, a few days later, the situation with medicines in the country's pharmacies has changed little. There is also a shortage of drugs in overcrowded hospitals. The intensive care units do not have enough ventilators either.
Despite the difficulties, Kazakhstan decided to provide assistance to neighboring Tajikistan. Nur-Sultan will send a batch of ventilators to Dushanbe. This statement of the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan has caused discontent among citizens, who literally scream about the shortage of ventilators in Kazakhstani hospitals.
Vice-Minister of Health Lyudmila Byurabekova said at a briefing on Wednesday that this would not affect the provision of automatic ventilating machines in Kazakhstani hospitals. "At present, all countries help each other, and other countries provide humanitarian assistance to our country. Indeed, the government of Kazakhstan is considering providing portable ventilators to Tajikistan by the end of the year. Portable ventilators are used to transport patients in ambulances. They are produced by a domestic manufacturer located in the Akmola region," Byurabekova said. According to her, Kazakhstan's need for such portable ventilators is 680 units. The manufacturer of these devices said it would be able to meet this need, as well as to provide humanitarian assistance.
