China News Agency, Nur-Sultan, July 9 (Reporter Wen Longjie) Kazakhstan Health Minister Alexei Choi informed the media on the 9th that the incidence of domestic pneumonia in the first half of this year increased by 55.4% compared with the same period in 2019, and a total of diagnoses were confirmed 98546 cases.

  According to Alexei Choi, 1,772 people died of pneumonia in the first half of this year, and 628 people died in June alone. Some of these pneumonia patients are ordinary pneumonia patients, and the cause of infection in other patients is not yet clear.

  In response to public concerns, Alexei Choi said, "If the public is interested, we are willing to provide relevant data on the unknown pneumonia", "We will try to release relevant data next week."

  Alexei Choi also pointed out that the unknown pneumonia has a "potential risk", and the current treatment plan is based on the treatment standard of new coronary pneumonia.

  Since mid-June, the incidence of pneumonia has increased significantly in Atyrau and Aktobe in western Kazakhstan and in the municipality of Himkent in the south. On June 29, Kazakhstan’s “Legal” website quoted the opinion of its national immunology expert Rafael Rogerson that Kazakhstan had no precedent for a community-acquired pneumonia outbreak in June.

  Rogerson pointed out that in addition to the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, another kind of pneumonia epidemic is still unclear in Kazakhstan. No COVID-19 virus has been detected in patients with this type of pneumonia. "Although the cause cannot be confirmed 100%, 99.999% is still a coronavirus." For patients with unknown pneumonia, the same treatment is used as for severe patients with new coronary pneumonia.

  The Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan issued an announcement on the 9th that Chinese citizens in Kazakhstan had died of unknown pneumonia. The embassy reminded Chinese citizens to effectively raise awareness of prevention and reduce the risk of infection.

  As of the 9th, Kazakhstan had a total of 53,021 newly diagnosed patients with new coronary pneumonia, 31,277 cured, and 264 died. Kazakh media reported on the 7th that 28,000 people in Kazakhstan are currently hospitalized for severe pneumonia, and 330 of them are in critical condition, but their new coronavirus test results are negative. (Finish)