Health officers predict spike in COVID-19 cases in N Kazakhstan after national holidays

PETROPAVLOVSK. KAZINFORM – North Kazakhstan region’s health officers have warned of a possible uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases ahead of the national holidays, Kazinform correspondent reports.

According to Tatyana Gorlova, Deputy Head of the Sanitary Epidemiological Control Department of the region, the number of COVID-19 cases rose by 42% in January 2021 in North Kazakhstan region due to multiple contacts between people during the New Year and Christmas holidays, with the region ended up in the «red zone» for the spread of COVID-19.

In her words, the COVID-19 growth rate has declined by 14% from 192 to 164 cases over the past week. The region rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination drive on February 1, 2021, with health workers, teachers, and law enforcement employees first to be inoculated. The first COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered to 2,445 residents, while the vaccine’s second dose has so far been given to 1,118.

The region has reported 21 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including seven in Petropavlovsk city, and the remaining cases in the five districts of the region.

The four COVID-19 laboratories running across the region have so far conducted a total of 78,695 tests by PCR.

The region’s COVID-19 tally stands at 12,805, 60% of which were detected in persons seeking medical help, 24% in contacts, and 16% in those undergoing preventive examinations.