Update : 2020-07-10 15:26
Kazakhstan on Friday (July 10) dismissed China's claim that there was an "unknown pneumonia" outbreak inside the country. Kazakhstan's health ministry ridiculed the Chinese embassy's warning as "fake news," adding the number of bacterial, fungal and viral pneumonia infections were in line with the guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), reported CNA.
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan has warned its citizens to take precautions against an "unknown pneumonia" that it claims has a higher mortality rate than COVID-19.
In a statement posted on its website Thursday (July 9), the Chinese embassy said the unidentified disease had recently broken out in the transcontinental country and claimed at least 1,772 lives in the first six months of 2020, with 628 deaths in June alone. It said those infected showed similar symptoms to COVID-19, adding that it remains unclear whether the disease is a new strain of the coronavirus.
The embassy noted that several Chinese citizens had succumbed to the disease and that Kazakhstan's health ministry had launched a "comparative study" to determine its origin. According to the Global Times, a tabloid run by China's People's Daily, the Kazakhstan government had not responded to the Chinese embassy's warning as of Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's state news agency Kazinform reported Tuesday (July 7) the number of pneumonia cases was 2.2 times higher in June, compared to the same period a year ago. The report added that approximately 300 people diagnosed with pneumonia were admitted to hospitals every day in July. Also, Altai Kulginov, mayor of Kazakhstan's capital Nur-Sultan, said 1,224 of the 5,894 reported COVID-19 cases in the city were in fact pneumonia.
In response to China warning about the illness, some netizens said they were suspicious and suspected it was a normal pneumonia epidemic. In Taiwan, some internet users said they believe the illness is a coronavirus mutation and that China is using it to shift responsibility for its mishandling of the ongoing pandemic, reported ETtoday.