Kazakhstan to face ‘unknown pneumonia’ deadlier than covid-19, warns China

China has warned its citizens residing in Kazakhstan of a local “unknown pneumonia” which it said, has a “much higher” fatality rate compared to the COVID-19 disease.

On Thursday the Chinese embassy in the central Asian country said in a statement on its WeChat platform, “The unknown pneumonia in Kazakhstan caused 1,772 deaths in the first six months of the year, including 628 people in June alone”, adding that the fatalities also included Chinese citizens. “The fatality rate of the disease is much higher than COVID-19,” state-run Global Times quoted the embassy’s statement on Friday.

The embassy further stated that many organisations including Kazakhstan’s health department are studying the “virus of this pneumonia.” There has not been any indication whether this disease is related to the COVID-19. Some Chinese experts said that vital measures need to be taken to prevent the pneumonia from spreading into China.

The embassy is reminding the Chinese citizens in Kazakhstan to raise their awareness of measures in order to prevent the spread of the virus. It quoted local media as saying that since mid-June, almost 500 people have been infected with the pneumonia in three regions of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan’s healthcare minister on Wednesday said that the number of patients sickened by the pneumonia is two to three times more than those who have been infected with the COVID-19.

The minister further said that it has been planned to publish accurate tallies of confirmed cases as early as next week, noting that while it is not necessary to publish the number, the public needs to see the reality, Kazakh international news agency reported.

The COVID-19 cases reported in Kazakhstan are 54,747 patients, including 264 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus resource centre.

The US and many countries have accused China of concealing the COVID-19 data from the world. However, China has denied any such intent of covering up the extent of its coronavirus outbreak, and instead accused the US of attempting to divert public attention.