№6 (ISSUED BIWEEKLY) 26 JUNE 2020 COVID-19 SITUATION REPORT HIGHLIGHTS UN SUPPORTS SAFE RE-OPENING OF SCHOOLS The widespread closure of educational facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented risk to the education and well-being of children, especially the most vulnerable, who rely heavily on schools for their education, health, safety and nutrition. The new UNICEF guidelines provide practical guidance to central and local executive authorities on how to work together to ensure the right of every child to education, health and safety while returning to school. Schools should assess their readiness to open after quarantine and provide an improved and safe learning environment and comprehensive support for The UN Country Team in Kazakhstan congratulates the healthcare workers of Kazakhstan children, including health, nutrition, psychosocial support and quality assurance of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. A NEW COVID-19 SURGE IN KAZAKHSTAN More on socio-economic response on page 2. NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan celebrated on 21 June the Healthcare Workers Day, on the occasion of which President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev decreed to award the most distinguished medical workers with medals and orders. The UN Country Team has also congratulated the medical workers, noting their outstanding contribution in UN CALLS FOR EQUAL fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. DISTRIBUTION OF WORK DURING COVID-19 Over the past three months, the medical workers have faced an unprecedented LOCKDOWN amount of work under quarantine in their hospitals away from their families to fight the pandemic. The number of COVID-19 cases is gradually growing in Kazakhstan, despite the restricted lockdown measures and information campaigns. As of 26 June, The burden of unpaid care work on many women is increasing due more than 19 thousand people tested positive for COVID-19, including several high- to school closures, aged family members at risk and other level officials – First President Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, Majilis Speaker Nurlan consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak. Under the quarantine Nigmatullin, Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov. On 25 June, due to deteriorated conditions, Kazakhstanis began to spend more time on educating state of health Yelzhan Birtanov has resigned from the Minister position, Vice-Minister children and caring for older family members than on everyday Alexey Tsoi was appointed as the Healthcare Minister of Kazakhstan. household chores. According to the Rapid Gender Assessment conducted by UN Women and UNFPA, with regards to the family Nur-Sultan and Almaty remain the most affected cities. The cities authorities have workload sharing during COVID-19 while providing support and care, announced plans to strengthen the quarantine measures: food and retail markets, as in Kazakhstan men were more readily involved to raise and care for well as the public service centres, operate only until 4 pm; hygiene control of all children and older family members than in helping with daily public spaces, workplaces, and businesses have been conducted. Among the urgent domestic tasks. Although women's time spent on household care measures are the re-structuring of the existing public facilities as hospitals with has increased (from 18% to 41%), almost every third male respondent around 3500 beds capacity (Halyk Arena, Almaty Arena), opening modular labs, said that they started to help children more in learning (32%), as well launching the telemedicine apps, hospitalisation of the people only with acute as spend more leisure time with them (30%) as well as senior family COVID-19 symptoms. The Kazakh government, on its part, has been ensuring the members (30%). safety purchasing hundreds of thousands of personal protective equipment and More on risk communications on page 3. vents. So far, 380 vents have been manufactured locally in Kazakhstan. The World Bank has also re-programmed part of the loan funds for USD 27.6 million, which has enabled the Ministry of Health to successfully procure 491 artificial pulmonary vents and 87 kinetic therapy devices. Given the increased load on the 103 emergency call-centre, additional At the same time, risk communications work is being addressed to fight the channels have been launched: misinformation pandemic. More misinformation is being distributed via social media and messengers regarding the self-treatment recipes and approaches. 705103 hotline More on emergency health response on page 2. Telegram Bot @ns103bot 25,000 AS OF 12:00 NUMBER OF CASES 26.06.2020 20,000 CONFIRMED 19750 15,000 RECOVERED 12220 10,000 MORTALITY 147 5,000 CASE FATALITY RATE 0,74% 0 ASYMPTOMATIC 13560 l l l l l h h ri ri ri ri ri y y y y y e e e e e rc rc p p p p p a a a a a n n n n n REPORTED a a A A A A A M M M M M u u u u u J J J J J CASES BY DATE KEY SOURCES M M 3 9 5 1 7 3 9 5 1 7 3 9 5 1 6 2 8 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 www.coronavirus2020.kz 2 2 Number of cases Increase per day www.anti-corona.kz №6 (ISSUED BIWEEKLY) 26 JUNE 2020 COVID-19 SITUATION REPORT EMERGENCY HEALTH RESPONSE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT AND WHO is developing a project for mitigating COVID-19 impact on RESPONSE Since the pre-schools have started to be re-open and there were sexual reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent confirmed COVID-19 cases identified, UNICEF has advocated for the health services, to be funded by Bill and Melinda Gates reopening with safety measures: Guidelines for pre-school Foundation; reopening has been shared with the Ministry of Education and Webinar on COVID-19 impact on breastfeeding for academia Science; and the MoH staff was held, UNICEF covered the questions UNICEF supported the Rapid Needs assessment in terms of the related to the risk management and breastfeeding during migrants stuck on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, COVID-19. The new Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On including 15 children (boys, girls) of different age, and 4 pregnant people's health and the health care system" has passed women. In total, 553 migrants crossed the border in 20 June 2020. through the Senate of the Parliament and submitted for the UNICEF held: 8 webinars for school/college psychologists from all President’s signature and contains prohibition of advertisement regions of Kazakhstan in respect to adolescent suicidal behaviour of the milk substitutes in Kazakhstan recommended by and remote psychological assistance to adolescents at risk; 5 UNICEF; individual online counselling sessions by mental health specialists; Webinar on COVID-19 and home-visiting services was held, More than 600 migrants who had been stuck at the Kazakh-Uzbek aiming for raising awareness among local authorities about the border, were transported by IOM to their home country, Tajikistan, role of patronage nurses in working with families in the COVID- via the territory of Uzbekistan. In total, IOM provided humanitarian 19 context; and legal assistance to more than 1500 migrants and their families; UNFPA organized two webinars for approximately 300 health Training program for 1000 civil servants of Kazakhstan launched to workers on the following topics “Specificities of the organization upgrade their digital and communication skills, ensuring their of infection control in obstetric institutions during COVID-19” effectiveness under the telecommuting work modalities; and "Healthcare-associated infections prevention and control in The Astana Civil Service Hub and UNDP in partnership with the perinatal care in the context of COVID -19"; Ministry of Personnel Management of the Republic of Korea and WHO supported National Reference Laboratories and continue the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Civil Service Affairs co-organized an international e-conference to assist countries in efforts to deliver lab supplies in line with the needs. exchanging best practices and solutions in human resources management in civil service amid COVID-19; The Astana Civil Service Hub and UNDP held the panel session within the IIAS (International Institute of Administrative Sciences) COVID-19 RESPONSE SUPPLIES e-Conference 2020 to discuss digital practices and solutions to respond to the COVID-19 induced challenges in governance; National Reference Laboratories have received the importation 450 UNDP volunteers working in the regions of Kazakhstan to assist permission for 1 laboratory shipment from the WHO; in increasing the digital literacy of the users of public services and World Bank has re-programmed part of the loan funds in the decrease the workload of one-stop shops.; amount of USD 27.6 million, which enabled the Ministry of Health UNDP project "Improving the capacity of medical personnel and to procure 491 artificial pulmonary ventilation devices and 87 creating a sustainable medical waste management system in the kinetic therapy devices to date for a total of USD 21.7 million. Out context of COVID-19” processing the purchase of equipment for the of which 6 ventilation devices delivered and installed in Nur- disposal of infected medical waste for the City Center for Sultan multi-profile medical center; 20 being distributed to Phthisiopulmonology in Nur-Sultan, which has been reorganized regional hospitals, 210 to be distributed to regional hospitals in into an infectious diseases hospital for patients with COVID-19. June-July 2020, and the remaining 255 ventilators to be distributed by November 2020; Vibroacoustic kinetic therapy devices delivered to 49 hospitals across the regions; UNFPA has provided 1,500 protective face shields to Kazakhstan’s professional sign language interpreters and those involved in SPOTLIGHT facilitating easier access to information and services for people with disabilities during the pandemic. RAPID GENDER ASSESSMENT FOR THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN KAZAKHSTAN In preparation for the COVID-19 USEFUL INFORMATION response, UNFPA and UN Women conducted rapid survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on main challenges faced by women SAFE BREASTFEEDING and men, including their economic DURING COVID-19 empowerment and vulnerability, and how the changing situation is affecting women and men livelihood.