WHO clears air on 'unknown pneumonia' in Kazakhstan as China calls it deadlier than COVID

Issuing statement on 'unkwn virus' found in Kazakhstan, WHO has said that it might be vel Coronavirus, citing that re was a big surge of COVID cases in country recently. WHO official Michael Ryan issued statement after Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan warned about unkwn virus. Ryan ded that  WHO is working with authorities in Kazakhstan to investigate potential of virus and to identify it. 

This comes after Kazakhstan's Ministry of Healthcare on July 10 dismissed a report of Chinese Embassy about an 'unkwn pneumonia'. " Ministry of Healthcare of Republic of Kazakhstan emphasizes that reports of Chinese media are t consistent with reality. It is important to te that WHO introduced pneumonia codes into International Classification of Diseases - ICD 10, in cases when COVID-19 is diagsed clinically or epidemiologically, for example with 'ground-glass' opacities in affected lungs, but is t laboratory-confirmed. In this regard, Kazakhstan, like or countries of world, keeps records and monitoring of this kind of pneumonia, in order to make timely manrial decisions aimed at stabilizing incidence and prevalence of COVID-19," release by Ministry of Healthcare ded.

China warns about unkwn pneumonia in Kazakhstan

Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan posted a tice on July 9 warning its citizens in country about a new 'unkwn pneumonia', possibly more lethal than COVID-19. Chinese Embassy in its tice claimed that death rate of new disease was much higher than that of Coronavirus. embassy said that Kazakhstan's health ministry is yet to identify virus that has reportedly claimed more than 1,700 lives in central Asian country.  Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan cited local media reports in its tice and claimed that unkwn pneumonia cases are being reported in provinces of Atyrau and Aktobe and city of Shymkent. 

RE | China warns citizens in Kazakhstan of 'unkwn pneumonia' more lethal than COVID-19

This comes as China is facing heat from world community for concealing information about Coronavirus that has till w claimed 562,889 lives worldwide and has infected 12,631,067 people. WHO has also faced ire of Donald Trump ministration for t investigating China's initial statements on Coronavirus and its potential. 

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