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Coronavirus pandemic

Kremlin rejects inaccurate data on high death rate among Russian medics from COVID-19

The spokesman was asked to comment on media publications saying that the death rate among the medics in Russia was allegedly higher than in other countries

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, May 28./TASS/. The Kremlin believes that data claiming a 'high' COVID-19 death rate among medics in Russia is inaccurate and it will ask the Ministry of Health for comments, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday.

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"To the best of my knowledge, this is not so," he told journalists when asked to comment on media publications saying that the death rate among the medics in Russia was allegedly higher than in other countries.

"But we will certainly ask the Ministry of Health to comment on that," he added.

The spokesman said he didn’t know what statistics were used to draw conclusions about a high death toll among the medics. The Ministry of Health has official information in this respect, he stressed. The ministry registers 101 fatalities among the medics as of now, earlier reports said.

Peskov also declined to comment on information about new methods of gathering statistics on illnesses and deaths from coronavirus, according to which the patients having no complaints and symptoms must not be factored in even if they test positive for COVID-19. "The Ministry of Health must give its arguments," he said, asking the journalists to address their question to the ministry.

"It would be wrong for non-professionals to comment on this," Peskov added.

To date, a total of 379,051 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 150,993 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 4,142 fatalities nationwide.

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