MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. The number of coronavirus tests conducted in Moscow has reached one million, Moscow Deputy Mayor for Social Development Issues Anastasia Rakova said on Wednesday.

"We continue to actively increase the number of coronavirus tests. To date, one million of such tests have been conducted by the city, federal and private laboratories. More than 40,000 tests are conducted in the city daily," she said.

According to Rakova, the number of coronavirus tests in Moscow had doubled over the past week. The number of confirmed COVID-19 tests is growing, while the number of hospitalizations has remained at the same level, she stressed.

People showing symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection undergo mandatory COVID-19 tests. Patients with pneumonia and those who share residence with people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus are tested as well. Employees who are in contact with residents, specifically, medical and social workers, transport and utility sector workers and police officers undergo screening for COVID-19. Patients of non-infectious diseases hospitals are tested for coronavirus as well.

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. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.