Khayriniso Yusufi . Photo from Ozodi
The deputy leader of Tajikistan’s ruling People’s Democratic Party, Khayriniso Yusufi, has been admitted to Dushanbe’s infectious diseases clinic, Asia-Plus reports (in Russian), citing its own sources.
According to the news outlet, 56-year-old Yusufi is currently in a moderate condition. Her daughter’s condition is said to be serious. Both remain under medical observation.
Until March 2020, Khayriniso Yusufi occupied the post of deputy speaker of the lower chamber of the Tajik parliament.
On 24 April, it was also reported that medical doctor Fatto Soliev had died of pneumonia at Dushanbe’s City Health Centre No.1. According to one of the centre’s medical staff, the deceased had previously visited relatives who had been placed under quarantine. According to local media reports, seven people have died of pneumonia at this hospital over the last two days. The Tajik health ministry has only confirmed the deaths of four of them. One of the deaths was that of famous physicist Abduali Toirov.
In recent days, two famous Tajik writers have also been admitted to hospital with pneumonia. One of them has been connected to a ventilator.
In recent days, there have been numerous reports of deaths from lung and heart ailments in Tajikistan, with the deceased sometimes buried in undisclosed locations or in closed coffins and their relatives placed in quarantine. The Tajik authorities continue to insist that there are no cases of COVID-19 in the country and that the current rise in pneumonia cases is seasonal and the result of “unfavourable weather conditions”.
The WHO recently announced that it would be sending teams of experts to both Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to verify the alleged absence of the coronavirus in these countries.
