Yelzhan Birtanov on protection against coronavirus: Best way is to maintain regular hygiene and keep face and hands clean

At the press conference in the Government, the Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov spoke about the measures taken to protect the population of Kazakhstan from coronavirus infection, and also made recommendations for the prevention of the disease.

“To date, there is no coronavirus infection in Kazakhstan. The measures taken by the ministry are primarily aimed at preventing the entry of infection into the country. To this end, very serious security measures have been taken to restrict the entry of both our citizens and citizens of other states from those countries that are currently unsuccessful for coronavirus infection. We divided these countries into several categories according to the prevalence of infection,” said Birtanov.

According to him, in addition to entry restrictions, quarantine is also applied to all arrivals for 14 days.

“During the incubation period, we must make sure that these people are not sick, which is why their contacts with third parties are limited in case they become infected. These are standard measures that are applied in all countries,” said the head of the ministry.

According to the ministry, today about 1 million people have moved into the country, if among them sick people are found (feverish or with signs of a respiratory infection), then they are required to be hospitalized, examined and receive treatment.

“Among them are 185 persons, of which 165 were discharged, 20 people remained. Every day patients arrive, but among them patients with a coronavirus are not found. The situation is under control, there is no need to panic. The main problem that worries us is false information, fakes. Official information can be obtained on the websites of the Ministry of Healthcare, the Committee for Quality and Safety of Goods and Services, or by calling the 1406 call center,” assured Birtanov.

In addition, the minister announced measures to prevent infection. The recommendations remain the same as with any common viral infection.

“This is to monitor your health, carefully observe personal hygiene, as the infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. Regular hygiene, face and hand treatment is the best way. Avoid contact with sick, feverish people, and also avoid unnecessary travel to those countries where coronavirus infection is registered. Then there is a good chance that you will not get sick,” the minister concluded.

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