MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Head of the department of pulmonology of the Sechenov University, chief non-resident pulmonologist of Russia’s Healthcare Ministry Sergey Avdeyev considers the current restrictive measures for the prevention of the novel coronavirus infection insufficient since citizens continue to ignore the safety precautions, particularly in public places.

"From the medical point of view the restrictive measures are insufficient, I’ll be honest. Look at the subway, at the stores, and so on <…> nobody wears a mask. Of course, [additional measures] need to be introduced. Maybe one should start with the educational campaigns," he told TASS.

He noted that today it is difficult to convince people that the coronavirus infection is indeed dangerous. "This is an infection that can potentially take lives of our friends, acquaintances, and so on. This is a serious problem, this is not just an acute respiratory infection when one can sneeze and cough a bit during one week. No. Here, unfortunately, people end up in intensive care, artificial lung ventilation is used. The restrictive measures can help us in order for less people to be in contact and to spread this viral infection," the expert added.

The pulmonologist also reiterated that the citizens shouldn’t forget the importance of observation of the mask regime in order to protect themselves and others. "It is important to wear masks, this is not somebody’s whim. Imagine if everyone wears a mask. Among them there will be definitely those who spread this infection. If an infected person wears a mask, <...> then the number of viral particles getting into the environment will be lower. And, without a doubt, less viral particles will get to those who do not have this infection," he explained, adding that a mask lowers the possibility of the infection.

Earlier, the Healthcare Minister Mikhail Murashko called the situation with the spread of the novel coronavirus infection in Russia manageable. According to him, the country has the sufficient number of prepared hospital beds and trained medical personnel to treat the patients. Additionally, new pharmaceuticals for treatment of the coronavirus patients appeared which demonstrated their effectiveness.

To date, 1,248,619 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 995,275 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 21,865 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.