NOVO-OGARYOVO, April 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to discuss the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) with Russian governors on April 8, he said during a session on the measures taken to combat the spread of the disease on Tuesday. Putin added that medical professionals should be especially protected during the epidemic.
"The protection of medical personnel is crucial," Putin stated. He added that on Monday and Tuesday he had discussed with Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov the measures taken by the ministry in this regard. "Clearly, our industry was not bracing itself for the situation we currently find ourselves in," Putin noted. "We will talk with the governors about this tomorrow," he assured.
The Russian leader noted that the Russian industry "has a lot of opportunities." He added that if necessary, Russia can import certain goods from abroad.
In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.
On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, roughly 1,350,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 74,000 deaths have been reported. That said, over 286,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.
To date, a total of 7,497 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 494 patients having recovered from the virus. Moscow accounts for the majority of cases (5,181). The country’s latest data indicates 58 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.