// Polina Tankilevitch
In light of the current situation with the incidence of ARVI and influenza in children's organizations in Astana, a mandatory "filter" is being introduced before school shifts, as indicated in the new decree from the city’s chief sanitary doctor, Aigul Shagaltaeva.
The document states that the heads of educational and medical institutions of all forms of ownership must organize a "morning filter" before each shift. This is necessary to prevent students and preschoolers with signs of acute respiratory diseases from attending classes, as well as to ensure group isolation in institutions engaged in the upbringing and education of children and adolescents.
Schools will also continue to transition to remote learning for classes where the incidence exceeds 30% until the epidemiological situation improves. If between 20% and 30% of students in a class are registered as ill during one incubation period, then the classroom system of education in general educational institutions will be canceled, and the acceptance of new students will be suspended for ten calendar days.
Medical organizations providing primary health care will operate from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and on weekends and holidays from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, according to the internal regulations of healthcare institutions.
The statistics on ARVI and influenza in Astana remain alarming. Over the past week, the city has registered 13,536 cases of ARVI, which is 1.7 times less compared to the previous week (24,342 cases). Children under 14 years old account for 58% of the total number of cases (7,824 cases). However, compared to the same period of the previous epidemic season, the incidence has increased by one and a half times.
Among schoolchildren, the proportion of those infected is 25% (3,430 cases) of the total number of registered illnesses. During laboratory monitoring, 431 samples taken from patients with ARVI and influenza were analyzed. Of these, 213 samples tested positive for the influenza virus A(H3N2), and seven cases of Covid-19 were also registered. In children under 14 years old, influenza A(H3N2) was found in 26 cases, which accounts for 23% of the total.
