KERCH /REPUBLIC OF CRIMEA/, July 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia had so far been able to cope with the coronavirus outbreak with minimum losses.
During a conversation with workers of the Zaliv shipyard in the city of Kerch, the head of state noted that "in some countries with good, well-developed healthcare systems, in rich European countries, the mortality rate is 8, 10, 11, 13, and in some countries it is more than 15%" "In our country, it is 1.5% You may treat statistics as you like, you may trust it or not, but it is obvious that this figure is significantly lower in our country," the president stressed. He explained that Russia’s low mortality rate stemmed from several factors, first and foremost, the flexibility of the healthcare system, the training of specialists and "the state’s ability to mobilize resources when it is necessary for the country."
"In general, we have so far been able to turn over that difficult page with minimum losses," Putin said. He added though that the coronavirus threat still persisted.
The president recalled several major events held recently, the Victory Parade and the constitutional amendments vote. "None of these events led to the outbreaks of the epidemic. On the contrary, the situation is improving day by day, because we strictly comply with all requirements of sanitary doctors, scientists, specialists and the World Health Organization," he stressed, adding that more than 20 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Russia.
Referring to the Victory Parade, the president noted that the participants in the parade had been tested for COVID-19 all the time. "Military medics did a good job," he said. According to Putin, all requirements of sanitary doctors were observed during the vote on the amendments to Russia’s Constitution.