Uzbekistan is preparing for the second wave of the coronavirus, the Director of the Agency for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing Bakhodir Yusupaliyev told Kommersant in an interview.
According to him, in the autumn-winter season, there will be an increase in the incidence of infectious diseases such as influenza and SARS.
“We are indeed awaiting for the second wave and getting prepared for it. Autumn-winter is the time when infectious diseases, including flu, will be widespread. With nearly all lockdown measures relaxed, people-to-people contacts have increased, schools, universities and kindergartens being opened,” he said.
The number of infection cases did not decrease but, reversely, increased in late July and early August, with the majority of patients suffering from severe forms, he added.
“The load on hospitals has risen. I would not associate the spread of the disease with air temperature. Now that we have experienced the peak, the situation has stabilized, but this does not mean that the incidence of acute respiratory infections will not increase during the autumn-winter period. Therefore, we will continue to enhance our preparedness to battle the pandemic,” he stressed.
