42 new officially confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported in Tajikistan yesterday, bringing a total number of officially confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country to 7,827 as of the morning of August 11, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MoHSPP) said.

The number of coronavirus-linked deaths has been reported in the country at 62, according to a MoHSPP.

6,614 (83.8 percent) COVID-19 patients have reportedly recovered as of the morning of August 11, 2020.  41 patients were released from hospitals yesterday.     

More than 1,000 people in Tajikistan have reportedly been treating COVID-19 at home under supervision of family doctors.    

The Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population, Jamoliddin Abdullozoda, noted on August 4 that despite the fact that the rate of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection among the population is decreasing in the country, medical workers should stay focused.

The minister ordered to strengthen control over COVID-19 patients who are being treated at home and intensify door-to-door campaign to identify new cases of the coronavirus and prevent the further spread of the disease in the country.  The minister also ordered to strengthen control over providing patients with the necessary drugs. 

By education ministry’s resolution a new academic year will start in Tajikistan on August 17.   Dozens of thousands of schoolchildren and students will fill public transport and educational institutions in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.  Experts consider that with beginning of academic year the risk of catching the COVID-19 infection will increase significantly.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Tajikistan is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).  The virus was confirmed to have spread to Tajikistan when its index cases, in Dushanbe and Khujand, were confirmed on April 30, 2020.  

Meanwhile, as far as other Central Asian nations are concerned, the number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan was reported at 99,442 as of the evening of August 10, including 1,058 deaths. In Uzbekistan, 31,304 cases of COVID-19 were reported as of the evening of August 10, with 200 deaths.  In Kyrgyzstan, the number of coronavirus cases as of the evening of August 10 was 40,177, including 1,474 deaths.   

Turkmenistan is the only country in the Central Asian region that has not officially registered any coronavirus cases, but local hospitals have reportedly been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms, some of whom, including medical personnel, have died.