According to the data from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MoHSPP), 31 new officially confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported in Tajikistan yesterday, bringing a total number of the officially confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country to 13,296 as of the evening of December 30.   

The number of coronavirus-linked deaths remains the same in the country – 90, a MoHSPP says.

36 COVID-19 patients were reportedly discharged after recovery yesterday.  In all, 12,799 (95.8 percent) coronavirus patients have reportedly recovered in the country as of the evening of December 30.  

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.      

The virus is reportedly affecting 218 countries and territories around the world and two international conveyances.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, through its new U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission, on December 29 provided to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population the first delivery of equipment associated with a $2.6 million program to support the provision of medical oxygen for patients battling COVID-19 in Tajikistan.

This oxygen support program reportedly adds to almost $5 million of medical assistance the U.S. government has already provided to Tajikistan to combat COVID-19 throughout 2020.

Supplemental oxygen is an essential, life-saving treatment for people infected with COVID-19.  In addition to the oxygen cylinders, the U.S. Embassy will provide three advanced oxygen generation stations for installation at Tajik hospitals in the coming year.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government has provided over $7.5 million in assistance to Tajikistan to improve oxygen supply, medical laboratories and their operations, create employment opportunities for displaced workers, provide nutritional support to vulnerable communities, and more.