MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. The coronavirus spread coefficient in Russia has fallen below 1 for the first time since the start of the epidemic, reaching 0.97. A day earlier, it stood at 1.01. In Moscow, the spread coefficient has gone down to 0.88 (compared to 0.91 the day before), remaining below 1 for four days running, the data from the Russian anti-coronavirus crisis center released on Thursday suggests.

Out of ten Russian regions with the highest number of people infected, this figure equals one or is lower than one in two regions besides Moscow: the Krasnodar Region (0.99 compared to 1 the day before) and the Murmansk Region (0.9 compared to 0.55 the day before). Dagestan reported a spread coefficient of 1.15 compared to 0.92 the day before.

The spread coefficient is calculated using the formula provided by the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being in its recommendations for regions on easing lockdown measures imposed due to the coronavirus spread. It should not exceed 1 for shifting to the first phase of easing restrictions in a Russian region. The coefficient shows how many people on average get the coronavirus infection from one infected person prior to their isolation, the watchdog explained.

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 4,442,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 298,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 1,668,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

To date, a total of 252,245 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 53,530 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 2,305 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.