Growth rate of COVID-19 has stabilized in Kazakhstan. A government meeting chaired by the Kazakh Prime Minister discussed the country’s sanitary and epidemiological situation. The virus’ reproductive rate has slightly decreased to 0.98. Hospital beds are occupied by 42 percent, while ICU beds by 28 percent. Nine regions are currently in a high-risk ‘red’ zone for COVID-19, including the cities of Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent, as well as West Kazakhstan, Akmola, Karagandy, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar and Zhambyl regions. The country’s COVID-19 vaccination drive is gaining momentum, Kazakh Health Minister Alexey Tsoy said. Vaccine distribution is proceeding as planned. More than 2.3 million vaccine doses were delivered to the regions. A first dose was received by nearly 1.5 million Kazakh citizens, while a second jab by 350,000 people. This equals to 15 percent of the population who can be vaccinated.
“Thus, compared to April 1, the number of people vaccinated with the first and second doses per day increased 12-fold from 11,000 to 135,000. We involved 11,000 health workers, over 1,000 stationary vaccination points and 400 mobile vaccination centers. Vaccine administration points operate in two shifts until midnight, including weekends. About 1.8 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been used since the start of the mass vaccination campaign in Kazakhstan,” Tsoy said.
Those who have been fully vaccinated are exempted from the PCR test for any type of hospitalization, as well as after sick leave or vacation leave, Tsoy noted. He also emphasized the importance of focusing on the vaccination of the rural population. Mobile medical facilities will be used for this purpose.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
