MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. Natural population decrease in Russia amounted to 160,300 in January-April, but the data is not final and will be amended after the quarantine restrictions are lifted, since the received information is not complete, Russian Federal State Statistics Service said.

Russia’s natural population decline was by 160,300 people in January-April 2020 compared to 148,200 deaths in 2019. According to statistics, the mortality rate amounted to 609,500, which is 3.1% lower, compared to the same period in 2019 (626,700). In January-April 2020, Russia registered 449,200 live births, which is 6.1% lower compared to the same period in 2019 (478,500).

"We have encountered problems in collecting data on birth and mortality rates in some regions. The quality of initial data strongly depends on the epidemic situation and the organization of work in a region and on how regional legislation is structured. If, under the regional legislation, mandatory registration of death in the state registry office is required for burial, then the mortality figures are accurate. Such standards are mandatory in Moscow, the Moscow Region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. Therefore, the data on deaths there is as complete as possible," Russian Federal State Statistics Service head Pavel Malkov said on Russia’s Rossiya’24 news channel on Saturday.

In the North Caucasus regions and some other southern regions, some data is missed out and will be calculated later, he added.

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said at a government briefing that in general, Russia’s mortality rate in April was even lower than last year’s. The country had 4,400 deaths, which is 2.9% down against April 2019. The deputy prime minister specified that the mortality rate was higher than average, particularly in Moscow, the Moscow Region and St. Petersburg. In most other regions, "more or less traditional mortality rates" were recorded, although "with some deviations," she said.

According to Golikova, in April Russia’s fatality rate from coronavirus was 1.6% to 2.6%, depending on the method of calculation. In March, coronavirus was the main cause of death for 1,660 Russians, although it was not confirmed by laboratory tests in 390 cases.

To date, 520,129 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 274,641 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 6,829 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.