The head of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament visited Vitebsk Oblast the other day upon instructions of the head of state in order to find out the state of affairs in the region. Healthcare Minister Vladimir Karanik is also in Vitebsk. “The situation is absolutely manageable. Medics understand what needs to be done,” Natalya Kochanova said. “Some websites report that Vitebsk Oblast has been closed, that nobody can get in our out. It is fake news that bear no resemblance to reality.”
In Vitebsk Natalya Kochanova went to healthcare institutions and was made familiar with the work of the labs that now make coronavirus test kits. “Certainly, there were issues that needed adjustment. We've decided that labs will be opened in all the oblast capitals in order to get results from coronavirus tests faster. This is why there is nothing extraordinary, the situation is absolutely manageable and under control,” the senator stated.
A theater actor died in Vitebsk the day before. He had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, this is why the head of state pays close attention to the state of affairs in the region. As he met with Natalya Kochanova, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “I am not saying it is some catastrophe. Vitebsk Oblast has a different climate and the morbidity peak has shifted a bit. Yes, some errors were made. I would like to hear about them. The healthcare minister is working there today. I've sent him and specialists there. I want them to pay attention, analyze things and make conclusions.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked the elderly man had also had other co-existing diseases. “The wife is healthy, she was living together with the husband, the daughter is healthy. Because they have a strong immune system. But he, poor guy, didn't make it. He was hospitalized with a bad case of pneumonia, his lungs were artificially ventilated, medics worked hard to save him,” he added.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed it is necessary to take good care of the elderly in the current situation. “Not because they are old but because their immune systems are weak. And then they have a bunch of illnesses,” he said.
IST belta.by
