WHO and the Robert Koch Institute led a joint mission to Uzbekistan on 22–28 August, meeting with national experts to assess COVID-19 risks for people and to understand the situation on the ground. Experts visited hospitals in urban and rural areas, national and regional laboratories, and other response structures including primary health-care centres and public health departments in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.
Dr Lianne Kuppens, WHO Representative to Uzbekistan, reported, “The experts noted strong cooperation across different sectors of government, which laid the groundwork for comprehensive legislation, including a national strategic emergency preparedness and response plan for COVID-19.”
Efforts to improve testing capacity, isolation measures, treatment and contact tracing were being scaled up as part of a solid, whole-of-government approach. The country had set up designated COVID-19 triage and treatment centres, and organized hospital structures and administrative systems for patient care.
Focusing on the low-hanging fruits
Uzbekistan benefits from a high level of community awareness about COVID-19-related risks. People wear masks in public spaces and restaurants have implemented entrance controls. The country’s surveillance system provides data daily on infections among selected groups and settings to inform decision-making. WHO recommended that the country gather further data on infections among health-care workers and other risk groups, and improve self-monitoring among those groups.
Uzbekistan’s number of national diagnostic laboratories grew in response to the outbreak, creating a network of 60 throughout the country. Experts advised establishing a national platform for knowledge sharing between laboratories as well as scaling up national training programmes for laboratory staff.
Health authorities had set appropriate priorities and were keen to learn from other countries’ experiences. Short-term suggestions for improvement also included focusing on the so-called low-hanging fruits – achievable goals such as building professional networks within institutions in line with the national strategic preparedness and response plan.