First coronavirus cases detected in Kazakhstan's regions

By Trend

Coronavirus cases were detected outside Kazakhstan's Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities for the first time since outbreak started in the country, Spokesperson for Kazakhstan's Healthcare Ministry Dias Akhmetsharip said, Trend reports with reference to the ministry.

Akhmetsharip said that three new coronavirus cases were detected in country's Almaty city and two more in Karaganda city.

Thus, overall number of people infected with coronavirus in Kazakhstan is 49 people: 25 in Nur-Sultan, 22 in Almaty and 2 in Karaganda.

"Those infected in Karaganda are passengers on Minsk - Karaganda flight born 1971 and 1972. Three patients in Almaty are two women born in 1982 and 1979 who arrived from Berlin and one man born 1997 who arrived from France," spokesperson said.

He added that no deaths from coronavirus were registered in Kazakhstan.

On March 18, 2020 a plane carrying 67 passengers from Minsk landed in Karaganda cities. All passengers who previously visited various European countries were quarantined.

By a decision of State Commission on Provision of Emergency State under the president of Kazakhstan quarantine regime has been introduced at 00:00 (GMT +6) on March 19, 2020, in Kazakhstan’s Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities due to coronavirus outbreak.

On March 15, 2020, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym Jomart Tokayev signed a decree introducing an emergency state in Kazakhstan due to coronavirus outbreak, which is relevant from 08:00 (GMT +6) on March 16 till 08:00 on April 15, 2020.

On March 13, 2020, first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 10,000. Over 245,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 88,000 people have reportedly recovered.

Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
Several countries are working on a vaccine against the new virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11.