MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Russia is currently in the coronavirus case count growth phase, and the infection case count in the country will only keep growing this week, says Melita Vujnovic, the World Health Organization representative in Russia.

"The epidemiologic line shows that this is still a growth phase," Vujnovic said. "Sadly, this week, [the new case count in Russia] will continue to grow."

According to Vujnovic, it is very important to promptly reveal new cases and cut the spread chains in the regions where the infection appeared recently. The spokeswoman underscored that protection of those who contact the infected is of principal importance.

"The most important thing is to prevent the so-called internal hotbeds - in families and among employees. Attention must be paid to this," she pointed out.

According to the WHO representative, medical facilities might become potentially dangerous infection hotbeds.

"It is very important that the medical facilities are perfectly safe, so that further infection of both the employees and the patients does not happen," Vujnovic explained. "It is very important to provide the medical staff with protective gear - but also the patients. It is required for all employees - from the medics and the nurses, to the drivers."

Vujnovic also expressed hope that joint efforts will help stop the spread of the disease.

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, over 2,000,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 126,800 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 485,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

To date, a total of 24,490 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 1,986 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 198 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.