Deputy PM urges Kazakhstanis to vaccinate amid detection of COVID Indian variant

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM – Deputy Prime Minister Yeraly Tugzhanov urged all Kazakhstanis to vaccinate as soon as possible as the probability of India’s variant of COVID-19 circulation had been detected in Kazakhstan, Kazinform correspondent reports.

While speaking at the press briefing at the Central Communications Service, Deputy Prime Minister Tugzhanov stressed this variant (strain) of COVID-19 appears to be more contagious and lethal.

According to Tugzhanov, this variant is highly transmissible as one individual can infect up to 5-6 people.

«But there is a simple way to protect oneself. In order to minimize the risk of getting infected it is crucial to vaccinate against the coronavirus infection,» he said at the press briefing.

«It is high time to vaccinate against COVID-19 as soon as possible. All healthcare facilities are fully supplied with anti-COVID vaccines,» he added.

Tugzhanov also noted that some 7 million doses of vaccines had been delivered to Kazakhstan since February 2021. 4.6 million doses have been used so far. 2.8 million of Kazakhstanis or 28% of the population were inoculated with the first component of the vaccine. The second component was administered to 1.7 million people.