Pandemic in Russia slowly receding, says Putin

 

• It is too early to relax in the fight against the disease, the president stated

NOVO-OGARYOVO, Jan 28: Actions of Russian authorities to combat the coronavirus spread are in line with the level of threats and yield positive results, hence the pandemic is slowly subsiding in Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a cabinet meeting Thursday.

According to him, objective data shows that the actions taken in Russia to curb the COVID-19 spread "are in line with the level of threats which it poses for citizens."

"Generally, [these actions] yield positive results," the leader stressed. "The pandemic is gradually receding."

He explained that the number of cases is going down in Russia, while the number of recoveries "has been steadily above the infection numbers lately."

"As of lethality, the situation is generally satisfactory if you can speak about it in such terms. Nevertheless, this is the case in comparison with other countries," Putin added.

The Russian president emphasized that the infection rate in Russia remains lower than in other countries. "We have around 12 infections per every 100,000 people," he noted. "This is four times as low as in European countries, many European countries.

Meanwhile it is "too early to relax" in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the president stated.

Putin noted that in conversations with regional governors he constantly emphasized "the need to maintain precautionary measures and health rules and keep a reserve of hospital beds for coronavirus patients and means to combat COVID-19, including personal protective equipment and medications."

"We need to act carefully, providing assistance to people and supporting the economy," Putin stressed. The president also ordered that federal and regional authorities continue coordinated efforts to combat the coronavirus, adapting their activities "to the current threats."

About 68 mln Russians need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Vladimir Putin said.

He noted that according to head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova, nearly 70 mln people were inoculated against the flu during the recent vaccination campaign. "We need to reach the same level as far as the fight against the coronavirus pandemic goes," the head of state pointed out.

"We launched a mass vaccination campaign on January 18, we have big plans in this regard," the president noted. "[Trade and Industry Minister Denis] Manturov reported to me that vaccine production was ahead of schedule," he added.

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