RUSSIALINK: “Coronavirus mortality rate way lower in Russia than it is in many other countries, recovery numbers on the rise – Putin” – Interfax

MOSCOW. July 13 (Interfax) – The coronavirus mortality rate is way lower in Russia than it is in European countries with developed public healthcare systems, and the daily increase in new cases remains stable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“I should say that we are doing fairly well by one of our performance indicators which I view as key, i.e. the mortality rate. The mortality per 100,000 residents is way lower in Russia than it is in many other countries, including European countries with developed public healthcare systems,” Putin said at a meeting of the Presidential Council for Strategic Development and National Projects.

The daily increase in new coronavirus cases has remained stable in Russia, and the recovery numbers are on the rise, Putin said. “In that context, the overwhelming majority of Russian constituent territories have started easing self-isolation requirements for citizens and other anti-epidemic restrictions,” he said.

National unity showed in the time of ordeal “allowed us to give a worthy response to the epidemic challenge,” Putin said. “Of course, there have been some problems and failures but, on the whole, we can say that [it has allowed us] to give a worthy response to the epidemic challenge,” he said.

Putin noted that Russia had been performing over 300,000 coronavirus tests per day, and 170,377 specialized hospital beds had been deployed by July 11. “Only 66% of them are now occupied. Obviously, this factor has allowed us to begin the gradual shift of mobilized healthcare facilities – and we also did so rather quickly – to routine operation,” he said.

[featured image is file photo from another occasion]