BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 18
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Kazakhstan has demonstrated that its proactive approach to mitigating the impact of COVID-related crisis has allowed the country to effectively respond to this outbreak, Head of the WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan Caroline Clarinval told Trend.
Clarinval said that although the current outbreak requires a strong commitment to address the short-term needs, COVID-19 has also highlighted areas of the health care system that will require further attention in the medium and long term.
“Responding to COVID-19 entails an approach that is based on principles such as solidarity, care, and beneficence. It also requires flexibility and adaptability of the health systems to remain agile in order to respond to the needs timely and appropriately,” she said.
Clarinval emphasized that COVID-19 demonstrated that health systems have to be well-prepared to ensure access to essential health care services is not put at risk and that acquired health gains are not lost.
“Kazakhstan has demonstrated that its proactive approach to mitigating the impact of this crisis has allowed the country to respond effectively this outbreak. Health care workers have gone above and beyond to care for patients. The behavior of the society and the rigor with which people will adhere to the recommendations of hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette and physical distancing will play an essential role in the fight against COVID-19. This responsibility is shared - and we can all contribute and play an important part,” she said.
The first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany on March 13, 2020.
The total number of coronavirus cases confirmed in Kazakhstan since the virus was first confirmed in the country amounted to 103,300 cases. This includes 84,445 people who recovered from the coronavirus, and 1,415 patients who passed away.
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