A new omicron strain of COVID-19 has been identified in Kazakhstan, and the strain, which has been reported in 126 countries, is likely to enter Uzbekistan. If this is the case, how ready is the country’s medical system? The press service of the Health Ministry recorded the views of the Deputy Head of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance and Public Health Service, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Nurmat Otabekov.

“Indeed, in recent days, the geography of the spread of this mutation around the world has been rapidly expanding. Given this, it is possible that the new strain will enter our country. However, taking advantage of this situation, spreading various false and baseless information through social networks, raising excessive panic among the population, I think, does not meet any criteria.

We know that so far, several types of coronavirus have been registered in our country, and the incidence rates have risen at certain times of the year and declined at some point.

It should be noted that over the past period, our medical staff has gained a great deal of experience in reducing the spread of the virus in our country, organizing vaccination events, treatment of patients.

In this sense, given that the recovery time from omicron is short and patients are less likely to be hospitalized, we could say that Uzbekistan is ready for the risk of the virus. The work done under the leadership of the head of our state and under the direct supervision of the Republican Special Commission to curb the coronavirus pandemic in our country is an example of this.

But it is no use being complacent about this. The reason is that the omicron is more contagious than other strains and can infect a large portion of the population in the short term. Therefore, at the same time, strict adherence to quarantine rules, active participation in vaccination activities is more important than ever.

In addition, it is advisable to continue the practice, which has yielded good results in the past, when the incidence of COVID-19 in our country has risen, that is, the distribution of COVID-kits through family doctors and clinics, outpatient treatment of patients with mild disease. This, in turn, will prevent overloading of specialized medical institutions,” Nurmat Otabekov said.

It should be recalled that in December 2021, the Republican Special Commission introduced a number of new restrictions in order to maintain the stability of the epidemiological situation in the country and prevent the entry of the omicron strain of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan.