RUSSIALINK: “Coronavirus mortality rate to keep on growing in Russia – Rospotrebnadzor head” – Interfax

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

MOSCOW. May 25 (Interfax) – Russia has passed the peak of daily growth in new Covid-19 cases and the mortality rate will now start growing, but the national prognosis remains quite favorable, Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova said.

“Regretfully, it is obvious that the number of coronavirus deaths will be growing here. It happens in every country. The peak of coronavirus deaths follows the peak or the height of […] daily registration of cases,” Popova said in Vladimir Solovyov’s program aired by the television channel Rossiya 1 (VGTRK) on Sunday night.

Russia has had enough doctors and hospital beds at every stage of the Covid-19 pandemic, Popova said.

“We have not had a deficit of hospital beds at any stage. We have always had enough hospital beds, medical assistance, specialized hospital beds, medical staff, and doctors for all patients,” she said.

Basically, Russia is following the favorable scenario, Popova said.

“What happens next? Speaking of the current situation, the prognosis and the prospective of current changes look rather stable and favorable,” she said.

The mortality rate of doctors amid the coronavirus pandemic does not differ much from the overall mortality rate in Russia, Popova said.

“As of this moment, there is no dangerous statistics, indicating a different, noticeable proportion of medical personnel in the total number of deaths over this period,” she said.

Every person who has contracted or died of coronavirus in Russia is known, Popova said.

Meanwhile, 44 regions of Russia are close to or past the threshold beyond which the first phase of lifting coronavirus restrictions can begin, Popova said.

“Forty-four constituent territories, over half of Russia’s total, have grounds to commence phase one either today or tomorrow,” she said.

In her words, the Rt effective reproduction number is less than 1 in 27 regions of Russia and equal to 1 in another 17 regions.

According to scientists, the time gap between phases one and two in lifting quarantine restrictions could roughly amount to two weeks, Popova said.

“If all the requirements are met, dynamics will persist as is. Because scientists say that we will actually be able to pass from one phase to another in two more weeks,” she said.

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