Tleukhan Abildayev . Photo from Almaty.tv
Almaty has confirmed cases of community spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus – instances of infection not involving those who have recently returned to the country or had confirmed contact with any known patients, Fergana’s correspondent reports (in Russian), citing the city’s public health department.
Municipal health department head Tleukhan Abildayev stated at a press conference that while most cases so far have been returnees from abroad or those these individuals have been in contact with, tracing has failed to establish any such links with respect to two patients in the city.
Earlier, Kazakh health minister Yelzhan Birtanov painted a slightly darker picture by announcing that (as of the evening of 30 March), the medical authorities had been unable to trace the source of 131 infections in the country. At present, Kazakhstan has 372 confirmed cases of the virus – 184 in Nur-Sultan and 84 in Almaty – and three deaths.
Over a week ago, Uzbekistan, which currently has 173 cases, confirmed the existence of community spread.
The medical authorities in Kazakhstan also announced today that medical staff in Nur-Sultan, Karaganda and Almaty have been infected with the coronavirus. No numbers were given.
