Kyrgyzstan faces third wave of COVID-19; Cabinet says situation under control

By Nurzhan Kasmalieva 

BISHKEK: Health authorities in Kyrgyzstan have announced that the third wave of COVID-19 has begun in the country as the epidemiological situation has deteriorated sharply lately.

The statistics show that the daily number of new cases is more than 1,000 per day.

Minister of Health and Social Development of the country Alymkadyr Beishenaliev told reporters that the epidemiological situation related to COVID-19 is severe, but under the control.

Various security measures are being strengthened in the country, the population is asked to be more attentive to their health, wear masks in public places, observe social distancing and other sanitary rules.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers of the country declared that it does not intend to introduce any restrictions, except for holding any mass events.

Chairman of the Cabinet Ulukbek Maripov said during an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers that every citizen should feel social responsibility for the life and health of their loved ones, and this will be their contribution to the joint fight against the spread of the pandemic. He called on the citizens to observe sanitary standards, avoid crowded places, limit visits to festivities and other events with a large number of people.

The authorities check the observance of sanitary standards in public transport, public places and in case of violations, fine the business entities.

The capital city of Kyrgyzstan remains the worst hit region in the country with 50,319 cases, leading the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19 to recommend citizens to minimize travel to the cities of Bishkek and Osh, as well as to Chui and Osh regions, where an increase in the number of detected cases of coronavirus has recently been recorded. In addition, in connection with the worsening of the situation, the Bishkek Mayor’s Office recommended organizations, institutions, enterprises to transfer 50 percent of the total number of employees to remote operation.

Although, the COVID-19 vaccination campaign has started in Kyrgyzstan at the end of March, people do not rush to be inoculated. Many people do not believe in vaccines. They say that the vaccine is not fully studied. In total about 100 thousand people are vaccinated in Kyrgyzstan so far.

Kyrgyzstan has started vaccination by using the China donated SinoPharm vaccine. Later, in April, Kyrgyzstan started using Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine.

Meanwhile, health authorities declared that no Indian Delta strain was found among patients with coronavirus infection in Kyrgyzstan in May. Earlier, the Indian strain was detected in the country in early spring.

Head of the epidemiological unit of the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance Dinara Otorbaeva told that the analysis, carried out in a laboratory in Russia identified that 85% of the virus in Kyrgyzstan are the British strain and 14% are the South African strain.

Doctor Karlygach Mamytova of the National Hospital in Bishkek confirmed that lately the number of patients increased significantly. She said that as soon as they discharge the recovered patients, another patients come. Mamytova said that last year the most of patients were mostly elder people, but now there are a lot of cases among youth as well.

In connection with the increase of COVID-19 incidence there are a lot of people, who want to be hospitalized, but hospitals accept only patients whose health condition is serious. The patients with mild form of disease are sent home to receive treatment at home.

Aigerim Raimkulova, 23, works as an operator in one of the mobile companies of Kyrgyzstan. She thinks that she was contracted in the public transport as not everybody wear masks. After the work she felt herself not very good, later had high temperature. Then she made analysis for COVID-19, which came out positive. As her health condition was heavy, she was immediately hospitalized.

Bekzhan Azatov, 18, also believes that he was infected in the public transport. At first he thought that he caught a cold, but after 6 days, when his health condition worsened, he called ambulance and was hospitalized. His doctor Mamytova said that his health condition was serious and doctors were anxious the first two days, but he got out of the disease.

The Central Asian country with a population of 6 million people registered a total of 125,003 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic, 110,082 of them recovered, 2,000 died.

The first COVID-19 case was reported in Kyrgyzstan on March 18, 2020, then the country’s authorities have taken precautionary measures against the pandemic by closing the country’s borders, shutting down schools and entertainment centers, banning public gatherings, and imposing a curfew for one month and a half.

Head Physician of the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision of Bishkek Kuban Kundashev told that the capital city has already reached the peak of the incidence. “The disease will soon subside, possibly in the next 1-2 weeks. People and the business community need to follow our guidelines! Citizens must wear masks, wash their hands, keep their distance, and be conscientious,” he said adding that there is no sense in a complete lockdown in Bishkek.