A new strain of pneumonia is spreading in Kazakhstan, which is feared to be worse than coronavirus, according to the Chinese embassy in the country. The announcement comes amidst rising cases of coronavirus in the country that has led to a second lockdown in some regions that are seeing a spike in the spread of the virus.
The Chinese embassy said in a statement that the pneumonia strain spreading in the country had a higher fatality rate than coronavirus, and it also led to more hospitalizations compared to coronavirus. The embassy continued by saying that the Kazakhstan government was still conducting research, but they were yet to determine what was causing the spike on these pneumonia cases.
Spike of Pneumonia cases in Kazakhstan
The Kazakhstan government’s description of the virus differed from the Chinese version, which said it was unknown pneumonia. The Kazakhstan government insisted that it was just pneumonia, which had spiked in the last few months.
In 2020 alone, the country has recorded over 1770 fatalities as a result of this pneumonia, with over six hundred twenty-eight of these fatalities coming in June. Data also showed that the number of pneumonia cases recorded in June more than doubled compared to last year, with over 1700 cases being recorded in the country.
Government’s position
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev acknowledged the spike in pneumonia and coronavirus cases in the country, during a televised address. He said that his government was taking extra measures to ensure that these cases were contained and the spread was being dealt with. He continued by saying he was not planning on relaxing coronavirus restrictions instituted in the country.
Kazakhstan has recorded over 53,000 coronavirus cases so far resulting in 264 fatalities. The country is also recording an average of 350 to 400 hospitalization as a result of a spike in both pneumonia and coronavirus in the country.
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