// Polina Tankilevitch
In Kazakhstan, 9,898 classes are temporarily studying online. A total of 190,643 students in 652 schools have been transitioned to remote learning, reported the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control, as conveyed by informburo.kz.
According to the KSEC, a complete closure of schools is not planned, and only specific classes are affected. Decisions to switch to online learning are made by local sanitary doctors and education departments when the illness rate among students in a class exceeds 30% during one infection period. This criterion is established in the regulations of the chief sanitary doctors and has been communicated to the regions as a standard approach to responding to spikes in ARVI and influenza.
Since the beginning of the current epidemiological season, nearly 2 million cases of ARVI have been recorded in the country. Additionally, over 1,200 cases of Hong Kong flu have been laboratory confirmed, which is characterized by high contagiousness and severe progression. The ministry noted that this is not a new virus. In the fall, representatives of the agency explained that H3N2 is not a new infection but belongs to seasonal strains that circulate annually. The current wave of illness falls within the usual epidemic season. The vaccine used this year contains a component against this strain.
Also today, November 26, it became known that in the Pavlodar region, 479 classes in 78 schools have been transitioned to distance learning, reports Pavlodar online.
