BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 19
By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:
Turkmenistan has registered and issued a corresponding certificate to the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus, Trend reports with reference to the State News Agency of Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan became the first state in Central Asia to officially approve the use of this vaccine on its territory, and entered the top ten countries where it was registered, the report says.
Comprehensive work is being carried out to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in Turkmenistan in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization, the report says.
As earlier the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia told Trend, Russian manufacturers of medical equipment are promoting their products on the local market and take an active part in specialized exhibition events of Turkmenistan.
Meanwhile, the ministry noted that due to the coronavirus pandemic in the world, the focus of purchases has shifted primarily to personal protective equipment (medical protection kits, masks, protective screens, etc.) and disinfection prevention products (bactericidal lamps).
Also, Turkmenistan introduced the mandatory presentation of a COVID-19 absence certificate when registering for a flight. The certificate must be provided by both citizens of Turkmenistan as well as foreign citizens and stateless persons.
Previously, Turkmenistan received a shipment of medicines from the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO/Europe) to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the country.
WHO/Europe experts worked in Turkmenistan at the request of the government, to support Turkmenistan in the aspects of preparedness and response to COVID-19. During the visit, the sides held a meeting where Turkmenistan presented its program to fight infectious diseases. Furthermore, the Turkmen side noted that the country follows the WHO recommendations and is currently implementing a program to ensure preparedness for countering and responding to infectious diseases.
In addition, Turkmenistan is working with UN agencies to develop a third national plan that covers the humanitarian component of the country's measures to combat COVID-19.
To date, Turkmenistan has reported no coronavirus cases.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva