TASHKENT, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has been carrying out around 10,000 tests a day for the novel coronavirus with the total number of tests reaching 210,000, Uzbek Health Minister Alisher Shodmonov said Thursday.
"We began the preparation to fight against the novel virus two months ago ... and by now we have 16,000 beds to treat infected patients," Shodmonov said during a live briefing.
He said the ministry has never been so free to manage funds provided by the state and added that Uzbekistan is spending 3,200 U.S. dollars per infected person and 6,400 dollars per patient under intensive care.
Earlier this week Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the government to ease quarantine measures in towns and villages which have not been seriously affected by the pandemic.
Uzbekistan has registered 1,735 confirmed cases and has locked down all major cities, including its capital city of Tashkent, to contain the spread of COVID-19. Enditem
