The Chinese embassy issued a warning "deadly pneumonia of unknown cause" to its citizens in Kazakhstan.

"The mortality rate for this disease is much higher than that of nCoV. Health authorities in Kazakhstan are working to compare the virus that causes pneumonia, but it has not yet been identified," the ambassador said.

While the Chinese embassy described it as "an unexplained pneumonia", Kazakh officials and media said it was a common pneumonia.

It is not clear why the Chinese embassy called this disease "unknown cause."

Shymkent and the provincial capital of Atyrau are 1,500 km apart, while the distance between the provincial capital of Atyrau and Aktobe is 330 km.

Kazakhstan reported 1,772 deaths from pneumonia in the first half, of which 628 were in June, including some Chinese citizens.

"The Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan reminds Chinese citizens here to be aware of the situation and prepare to take precautions to minimize the risk of infection," the embassy's statement quoted.

Saule Kisikova, director of the Astana Capital Health Department, said that "every day, about 300 people diagnosed with pneumonia are hospitalized".

Kazakhstan declared a state of emergency on March 16 to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on July 8, speaking on television, said the situation was still very serious and it was too early to relax.

The Chinese embassy said on July 7 that the number of Covid-19 infections in Kazakhstan had reached 49,683, including 264 deaths.

Late last month, Kazakh officials warned of an increase in pneumonia cases.

"Every day 350-400 patients hospitalized in the city have Covid-19 or pneumonia," she said.