MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. All people hospitalized in Moscow after coming into contact with the Russian national confirmed to be infected with novel coronavirus on his return from Italy test negative for the virus, Moscow Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said on Tuesday.
"Yesterday, we informed that 24 people who came into contact with the man who contracted coronavirus in Moscow had been hospitalized. Currently, on the outcomes of the Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare’s tests, we can announce the results: the first tests of all relatives and friends of the infected man are negative [for coronavirus], the first tests of all passengers of the flight who were hospitalized with acute respiratory viral infection are negative, as well as the tests of the other 67 passengers. We are still working on the other passengers’ tests," Rakova informed.
The crew of the aircraft and the medical staff who first attended the patient are under surveillance. The first tests for coronavirus are negative.
"This is a good sign; however, we can make a definitive confirmation that a person is healthy only following a thorough multi-stage testing process in accordance with the recommendations of the Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare and the World Health Organization. We will continue to inform you of the results," she added.
About the virus
Earlier, Russia’s coronavirus control and monitoring task force informed that a Russian national who had recently returned from Italy had been diagnosed with novel coronavirus. The task force specified that the man had contracted coronavirus on February 21 during a trip to Italy. He came back to Russia on February 23, and on February 27, he went to a doctor’s office with acute respiratory viral infection symptoms, after which he was taken to hospital. Lab tests were positive for coronavirus.
In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. According to Chinese authorities, over 80,000 people have been infected with the virus in the country. The death toll has surpassed 2,900, while about 47,200 patients have recovered. WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a global health emergency and named the virus COVID-19. Cases of coronavirus have been reported in over 70 countries, including Russia. The largest outbreaks of COVID-19 outside of China have been detected in South Korea and Italy.
According to WHO, the number of people infected with COVID-19 outside of China is nearing 9,000, with over 120 people dead.