During his recent trip to the region, the Secretary of State praised Kazakhstan’s preparedness for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. He said, “Quick action of the Government of Kazakhstan to stop the spread of the virus has been incredibly impressive.”
The Secretary has also noted that most countries of the world are unprepared for a full-scale coronavirus pandemic, which is why the United States has pledged $100 million for the global response.
The U.S CDC office is working extremely closely and productively with the Government of Kazakhstan to prevent an outbreak and manage one if it were to happen.
Dr. Daniel Singer, the head of the regional office of the CDC, had this to say about our cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan: “Kazakhstan was the first country in the region to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan. It also has put extensive measures in place to prevent the introduction of COVID-19 and to detect it if cases were to occur in the country. They have reduced traffic across their border with China and are monitoring the remaining traffic using a more advanced system than any I have seen in the 25 years I have worked in outbreak response. They also have adopted COVID-19 case definitions that are even more sensitive than those recommended by the WHO. The government clearly recognizes the threat of this new virus and has taken bold steps to prepare. They are showing real leadership.”