Press releases

9 Mar 2020

Minister: Situation with coronavirus remains manageable in Belarus

An archive photo

MINSK, 9 March (BelTA) – Coronavirus is still under control in Belarus, Belarusian Healthcare Minister Vladimir Karanik has said, BelTA has learned.

“As far as the situation with coronavirus is concerned, it remains manageable and controllable. The virus is unlikely to spiral out of control,” Vladimir Karanik said.

At the same time, the minister noted that three more people tested positive for coronavirus. Their test samples revealed coronavirus RNA. However, these people were already in hospital by that time and the possibility of them spreading the virus is minimal. An additional examination is underway. If additional tests come back positive, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Belarus will rise to nine. The patients will remain under medical supervision. “They have not developed any clinical symptoms of a disease yet. I think that the disease will be mild or the patients will be just carriers,” the minister added.

All the people who have tested positive for the virus undertake three additional tests. In other words, test results need to be verified three times using test kits of three different manufacturers. More than that, some of the negative tests are also doubled checked.

Belarus’ first coronavirus patient – the student from Iran – has been cured by now. He is in satisfactory condition. He remains under medical surveillance, because he needs to test negative two times and remain isolated for 14 days after the confirmation of the diagnosis. The patient is expected to be discharged from hospital this week. Another three people who came in close contact with him do not show any symptoms of a disease, either. “I think all the tests will come back negative this week and we will be able to consider discharging all the confirmed coronavirus cases in Minsk,” the minister said.

The students who came in contact with the Iranian national are also to be discharged this week. All their tests have come back negative and none of them shows any symptoms of a disease. The other students will start going back to their studies tomorrow. All the students of Belarusian National Technical University who developed even slightest symptoms of a viral infection have been examined. Many of them were diagnosed with influenza. In this regard, the Education Ministry and the university will be recommended to work harder to encourage students to get a vaccine.

The patients from Vitebsk show no symptoms of the infection, either. They are in satisfactory condition. Only one of them has a temperature of 37.4° C, which is clinically insignificant; the others have a normal temperature. The laboratory tests of all these people have shown normal values.

A clinical protocol on the observation, diagnostic and treatment of coronavirus patients has recently been published. It has been distributed among all healthcare facilities, including private clinics.

According to the minister, Belarus’ observation pattern over the first-level contacts is justified. The virus containment efforts will remain in place in Belarus. The efforts will extend to patients showing coronavirus-like symptoms.

Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to Belarus Batyr Berdyklychev note that despite a significant increase in the number of new cases in some countries, it is still possible (and China is a case in point) to curb the spread of the infection and to reverse the situation. Belarus is following all the WHO recommendations. As a result, the virus has not managed to set a foothold in the country. In addition to that, it is important that governments take balanced measures in order to mitigate negative consequences for the economy.



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