Three more pneumonia-linked deaths reported, health ministry denies this information as baseless

“These are those three patients that were in serious condition,” a source told Asia-Plus in an interview. 

According to him, two of them were aged over 60 and one was only 36-year-old.  They reportedly tested negative for a novel coronavirus (COVID-19).  

Meanwhile, Mr. Khurshed Rustamzoda, director of Dushanbe City Health Center No. 1, neither confirmed nor denied this information.  

“We have sent all information to the Health Ministry, call them and they will give it you,” Rustamzoda told Asia-Plus in an interview.  

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population has denied information new three deaths in the City Health Center as baseless.

“They are all alive and well.  I just talked to the hospital management,” Ms. Bibikhonum Darveshzoda, a spokeswoman for the Health Ministry,” told Asia-Plus Thursday afternoon.

As it had been reported earlier, four patients of City Health Center No.1 died of pneumonia on April 22. 

The Center director Khurshed Rustamzoda told Asia-Plus that those four people were male and aged over 60.    

According to him, coronavirus tests were carried out on them and they reportedly returned negative results.   

A source within the Center told Asia-Plus Wednesday that more than 100 people are currently hospitalized as pneumonia patients.  “Three of them are in serious condition,” the source said.

The Health Ministry said on Wednesday that 155 people have been admitted to City Health Center No. 1 and 114 of them are currently undergoing treatment at that Center.  

Recall, Deputy Health Minister, Shodkhon Jamshed, has explained the apparent spike of pneumonia cases to adverse weather conditions, which he said had caused a spike in respiratory conditions in particular.

According to data from the Republican Center for Medical Statistics and Information at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population, 12,802 people were diagnosed with the pulmonary infection in 2019.  The number of lethal cases was not reported.