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Coronavirus pandemic

Not all Russian regions provided timely response to COVID-19 pandemic - minister

Some of the regions were better prepared, Mikhail Murashko informed

MOSCOW, May 4. /TASS/. Not all Russian regions have provided a timely response to the coronavirus pandemic in order to mobilize efforts, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko informed.

"Some of the regions were better prepared, some had a lukewarm response at the first stages, failing to begin mobilization on time. It seemed like something happening far away from them. <…> When we set some clear rules, regulations, demands, they have switched to the mode "if it’s ordered, then we have to do it," he said on Sunday in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

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.

According to the latest statistics, over 3,400,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 240,000 deaths have been reported. To date, a total of 134,687 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 16,639 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 1,280 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

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