NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Vice Healthcare Minister and Chief Sanitary Doctor Yerlan Kiyasov reported on the worsening epidemiological situation in Kazakhstan at a Jan.13 press briefing at the Central Communications Services.
Yerlan Kiyasov. Photo credit: gov.kz. Click to see the map in full size.
As of Jan. 15, Kazakhstan had 166,146 coronavirus cases and 2,386 deaths. 835 new cases were recorded over the past day.
Kazakhstan also confirmed 46,666 coronavirus pneumonia cases that the country started to register since Aug. 1, 2020. 533 people died from it.
Currently, 23,734 people continue receiving treatment, including 285 patients in severe condition. The occupancy of infectious hospital beds is 30 percent, and 20 percent at intensive care units.
“Over the past month the epidemiological situation with coronavirus infection has deteriorated. Kazakhstan moved from a low risk zone or green zone to a moderate risk zone or yellow zone.” said Kiyasov.
The Kostanai and Akmola regions moved from the yellow zone to the high risk red zone., while Almaty, Nur-Sultan, and North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, West Kazakhstan and Atyrau regions remain in the yellow zone.
“The rest of the regions are in the green zone,” said Kiyasov.
Over the past month, the Atyrau Region recorded a significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases by 3.7 times, where 70 percent of the cases are reported in Tengiz, the nation’s major oil field.
The Almaty and Karaganda regions and Almaty also showed a surge in the cases, said Kiyasov.
“Given the current epidemiological situation, we are considering measures to strengthen quarantine measures aimed at distancing the population and reducing social contact,” said Kiyasov.
He said that citizens have stopped observing preventive measures and warned that the government may consider new restrictions to “distance citizens from one another and reduce contacts.”
“Each person should be responsible, do everything not to get infected and not to infect others, comply with the requirements, such as mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing and hygiene rules,” said Kiyasov.
