MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. A batch of 100,000 express tests for testing medical personnel for immunity to the novel coronavirus has been distributed among city hospitals, Moscow’s deputy mayor for social development, Anastasiya Rakova, said on Tuesday.
"We keep increasing the number of people who are mandatorily tested for the coronavirus. Also, screening procedures have been arranged for patients being brought to non-infection hospitals. This is being done to prevent the existing hotbeds of infection from spreading and also to rule out the emergence of new ones. Also, medical personnel have begun to be tested for immunity. About 100,000 express test systems have been distributed among Moscow’s health service establishments," Rakova said.
According to the official, more than 20,000 tests are made at the city-administered, federal and private laboratories a day. All those with acute respiratory infection symptoms are tested for the novel coronavirus. Patients diagnosed with pneumonia and all those who live together with a patient with confirmed novel coronavirus infection diagnoses are tested, too. The staff who have to contact city residents - medical and social workers, transport employees, staff of the housing and utilities services and police - undergo screening.
According to the latest statistics, over 3,000,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 211,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 923,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.
To date, a total of 93,558 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 8,456 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 867 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.