Almaty Sees Rise in Coronavirus Cases Amid Seasonal Spike in Respiratory Infections
The city of Almaty is grappling with a surge in coronavirus cases, coinciding with a seasonal uptick in acute respiratory viral infections.
Since the start of the year, Almaty has recorded 217 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 34 of these affecting children and adolescents.
Kasymkhan Alpysbayuly, the head of the city’s department of sanitary and epidemiological control, disclosed the breakdown of cases during a briefing by the Republican Center for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control (RSK). He stated, “Of the registered 217 cases, 190 were identified through self-referral, 17 for preventive purposes, and 10 due to epidemiological indications.”
Alpysbayuly further highlighted a 1.5% increase in infections over the past week, with 42 new cases reported compared to 29 in the preceding seven days. He emphasized that the daily rise in COVID-19 cases escalated from 0.002% to 0.003% a week ago, while the weekly incidence rate per 100 thousand population surged from 1.5 to 2.0.
The city’s chief sanitary doctor noted that individuals aged 20 to 39 years have been the most affected demographic, constituting 76 cases since the year began.
Reiterating preventive measures, Alpysbayuly emphasized that combating coronavirus follows similar protocols to those for influenza and ARVI. He underscored vaccination as the primary defense against COVID-19.
