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Coronavirus pandemic

Putin hopes new defense ministry medical centers will be effective

Earlier in the day, five medical centers constructed by the defense ministry opened simultaneously in Voronezh, Penza, Kaspiysk, Derbent and Botayurt

MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expecting new medical centers built by the defense ministry in Russian regions will to work effectively and contribute to the fight against coronavirus.

"Today, we have an important and nice event - five medical centers constructed by the defense ministry are opening simultaneously in Voronezh, Penza, Kaspiysk, Derbent and Botayurt," Putin said.

According to the leader, "these modern medical centers have all the equipment and tools necessary to help people facing the dangerous disease - coronavirus infection." Putin believes that the new centers "should boost the potential of regional healthcare systems for long-term prospects."

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Fight against coronavirus to continue vigorously, consistently, says Putin

"In the most difficult initial period of the pandemic, the necessary units of military and civil builders, resources and equipment were quickly allocated. Everything needed was done to boost capabilities on specialized hospital beds in those Russian regions where the situation was developing most seriously," the president noted. Moreover, he emphasized that "four more mobile hospitals were deployed in Dagestan, the Krasnoyarsk and Transbaikal Regions."

"I am certain that the centers opening today will be just as effective and will contribute to the fight against the infection," Putin said.

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 10,429,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 508,400 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 5,689,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

To date, 647,849 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 412,650 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 9,320 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

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