Georgia Delivers Medical Supplies To Kazakhstan, Russia Sends Doctors

A commercial aircraft from Georgia carrying ventilators — mechanical breathing devices — arrived in Almaty on Monday as part of efforts to help Kazakhstan fight the coronavirus outbreak.

The ten ventilators produced by the manufacturer in Georgia will be distributed among hospitals in the capital city of Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The announcement comes amid growing concerns from health officials in Kazakhstan about the availability of medical equipment.

On June 30, Kazakhstan’s top health official announced the government’s intent to purchase about 1,000 ventilators. In June, the Central Asian country purchased 978 units of life-saving machines. According to Alexey Tsoi, who heads the country’s health ministry, 3,294 ventilators are currently in use in Kazakhstan. That number can change on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, more than 32 doctors from Moscow arrived in Kazakhstan on Monday to support anti-COVID-19 efforts, according to the foreign ministry. 

Among the group of doctors are a pulmonologist, a cardiologist and infectious disease specialists. The Russian doctors will provide consultative and diagnostic support to their Kazakh counterparts at local hospitals. Teams will visit infectious hospitals to examine patients and conduct training seminars.

‘‘Medical teams are equipped with everything necessary to start working, including personal protective equipment,’’ reads a statement issued by the Moscow Department of Health. 

Earlier this month, the government of China delivered Covid-related medical supplies to Kazakhstan. The materials delivered to the Central Asian country to address the outbreak of the novel coronavirus include 50,000 tests, 70,000 safety glasses, 150,000 gloves, 1,000 non-contact thermometers, 30,000 protective suits, and 600,000 masks. 

The charter flight from China landed at Almaty International Airport on July 4, the Kazakh foreign ministry reported, saying that medical supplies from neighboring China will be distributed among the country’s hospitals. 

The coronavirus pandemic has entered a new phase in Kazakhstan. The government officials in Nur-Sultan were forced to reimpose a lockdown across the country following a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country. The preventative measures will last until July 19, with the possibility of being extended for another two weeks or longer, depending on the epidemiological situation in the country.

The number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan has risen to 49,683, according to an interactive map from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. As of today, 264 coronavirus-related fatalities have been recorded, according to media reports, while 27,657 recoveries have been accounted for.

As of today, more than 11.7 million people around the world have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Over 541,000 people died, while more than 6.7 million recovered. Many countries face a critical shortage of the lifesaving machines, ventilators, which can be a life-saving medical aid in the fight against the deadly virus.