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(CNN) — The Kazakh Ministry of Health has denied reports of China on alleged cases of “unknown pneumonia” more lethal than covid-19 present in the country, according to a statement on Friday.
“In response to these reports, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan officially declares that this information does not correspond to reality,” the statement said.
The statement goes on to say that Health Minister Aleksey Tsoy mentioned cases of pneumonia across the country, not only of bacterial, fungal, and viral origin, but also “viral pneumonia of unspecified etiology” during a July 9 briefing. , explaining that this classification follows the ICD-10 codes of the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization “For recording pneumonia when infection by coronavirus it is diagnosed clinically or epidemiologically but it is not confirmed by laboratory tests ”.
China warned its citizens in Kazakhstan on Thursday of an outbreak of “unknown pneumonia” in the country and said the disease is “much more deadly than covid-19,” according to a statement from the Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan.
“The Kazakhstan Department of Health and other agencies are conducting comparative research and have not defined the nature of the pneumonia virus,” the statement says.
The embassy said, citing media in Kazakhstan, that the Atirau, Aktobé and Chimkent regions have seen an increase in the number of new cases of pneumonia since mid-June.
The disease more than 1,700 deaths in Kazakhstan this year, some of whom were Chinese citizens, according to the embassy. A total of 628 of those deaths occurred in June alone. “This disease is much more deadly than covid-19,” said the statement.
The number of pneumonia cases in the capital city, Nursultan, has more than doubled in June from the same time last year, according to the leading news agency. news from Kazakhstan, Kazinform, which cited official data.
“Up to 200 people are admitted to hospitals every day. In the past few days, some 300 people diagnosed with pneumonia were rushed to hospitals per day. In addition, some receive treatment at home, “said the head of the Nursultan health department, Saule Kissikova, Kazinform reported.
The Chinese embassy has warned residents of the region to limit how much they went abroad and to avoid crowded public areas. He also encouraged preventive measures such as wearing a mask, disinfecting spaces, washing hands frequently, and allowing good air circulation indoors.
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China’s warning comes as Kazakhstan continues to fight an increase in cases of covid-19, which has infected 53,021 people and killed 264 so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Nursultán Nazarbayév, the first high-profile president of Kazakhstan and current president of the country’s Security Council, tested positive for covid-19 last month.
Authorities implemented a second round of restrictions across the country on July 5, in response to a dramatic increase in cases. Under these restrictions, international flights are canceled and interstate highway transportation was suspended, Chinese state media Xinhua. Cultural spaces, sports facilities, cinemas, and lounges are still closed, and most government employees work from home.
There is now a growing demand for medical personnel, hospital beds and emergency supplies, according to Xinhua, quoting the country’s health minister. If the situation deteriorates, officials warn that they could further tighten the restrictions.
Philip Wang and Sugam Pokharel of CNN in Atlanta, Martin Goillandeau in London and Shawn Deng in Beijing and Joanna Lillis in Almaty, Kazakhstan contributed to this report.
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