Efforts to contain pandemic critically reviewed

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been chairing a video conference. The work undertaken in Uzbekistan to combat the coronavirus pandemic is analyzed at the session.

It was noted with regret that the contagion of COVID-19 has accelerated lately across the world, the total number of cases reaching 19 million and deaths increasing. That the World Health Organization extended the global emergency for another three months on July 31 is also suggestive of seriousness of the situation.

Over the past week, more than 5 thousand new cases of infection were detected in Uzbekistan, and the total number of infected approached 27 thousand. Moreover, the incidence of pneumonia with severe consequences has been growing.

With this in mind, additional measures are taken in the country. In particular, over the past 20 days, the number of beds for the treatment of COVID-19 has multiplied 3.5 times, reaching nearly 65 thousand.

About 800 ambulances have been delivered to the site.

An additional 4,000 breathing apparatus were imported (ventilators, portable CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators), bringing their total number to 6.5 thousand.

“It is essential that we continue and build up systemic work to prevent the spread of the virus among the population and treat patients,” the head of state insisted.

The President emphasized that the Ministry of Health, hokims and sector leaders must be fully prepared for the treatment of coronavirus and pneumonia, and are personally responsible for providing each patient with the necessary medical care, their hospitalization based on the course of the disease, as well as treatment.

The need for further intensification of the local primary healthcare system was noted.

For example, in capital Tashkent, owing to the organization of well-coordinated work as part of the scheme “family polyclinic – mobile brigades – specialized polyclinics – ambulance service 103”, it was possible to increase the proportion of those who recovered from 45 to 58 percent within a week.

In this regard, Deputy Prime Minister Behzod Musayev, along with hokimiyats and heads of sectors were instructed to complete, within a week, the deployment across the regions of the Tashkent-tested system for treating asymptomatic patients at home with the help and recommendations of mobile medical teams.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed the importance of redirecting small local hospitals back to their work of treating other types of diseases, including chronic ones, while continuing to set up centers for receiving and sorting out COVID-19 patients.

“The Council of Ministers of Karakalpakstan and regional hokimiyats should comprehensively uphold the effective organization of the work of heads of specialized centers and higher educational institutions assigned from Tashkent,” the President said.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that in each case of a severe course of the disease, it is advisable to consult on treatment tactics with domestic and foreign specialists via video conferencing.

Today, intensive research is underway in a number of countries to find a cure for the coronavirus. It is reported that pharmaceutical companies in China, India, United Kingdom, Russia will soon start producing the vaccine.

In this regard, Deputy Prime Minister Behzod Musayev was instructed to study - within a week - the possibilities of procuring the medicines and vaccinating the population of our country, after consulting with leading scientists and experienced doctors.

The need to boost the participation of the mahalla institution in the prevention of disease, the delivery of citizens with suspected coronavirus to hospitals, clarification of lockdown requirements and the implementation of public control was emphasized.

For our people are accustomed to appealing to the mahalla with a great diversity of issues.

“Almost 40 thousand people work in 9,150 mahalla offices across the nation and receive salaries from the budget,” the President informed. “We have augmented their salaries almost 1.5 times this year. They should not stay on the sidelines in such a difficult situation. There’s hardly anyone at the grassroots level who knows as well as representatives of the mahalla what the state of affairs is in the neighborhood, who is sick, who has what level of income, who needs help, and who needs a doctor.”

To this end, hokims and sector leaders should lead mahalla chairpersons, crime prevention inspectors and other personnel, local activists and senior citizens, as well as health workers assigned to mahalla, toward connecting persons with suspected coronavirus and those who are infected on the one hand, and ambulance service and doctors on the other.

Local self-government representatives should also be actively involved in delivering food to needy families and medicines for patients who are recommended for home treatment.

“Meanwhile, they should lead explanation works and secure public control over the inexpediency of leaving home for no reason and getting together, over the need to wear a medical mask and observe social distance, refrain from holding weddings and other family events,” President Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored.