Chinese embassy issues alert to citizens over pneumonia outbreak in Kazakhstan

Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan on Thursday issued an alert to its citizens in Kazakhstan over a pneumonia outbreak in the country.

Pneumonia in Kazakhstan has killed 1,772 people as of June this year, and for June alone, there're 628 deaths, which included those of Chinese nationals, said the embassy in a statement.

The fatality rate of this pneumonia was much higher than the COVID-19, the embassy added. The health ministry of Kazakhstan is now conducting research on this pneumonia and has not defined its nature.

Kazakhstan reported 1,962 new COVID-19 cases over the past day, setting a fresh record for new cases reported in a single day, according to state news agency Kazinform on Thursday.

As of Thursday, Kazakhstan has registered 53,021 confirmed cases and 264 deaths, with 34,931 recoveries, according to Kazinform.

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said that the situation with the coronavirus spread within the country is still serious, and it is still early to relax restrictions.

"We are, in fact, facing the second coronavirus wave coupled with a huge uptick in pneumonia cases," the president stated.

The Chinese embassy has called on Chinese citizens in the country to raise awareness and reduce outdoor activities.