MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. The relatively low novel coronavirus mortality in Russia may be a result of careful control over cases of community-acquired pneumonia since the very outset of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Russia Melita Vujnovic said.

"Since the very start of the outbreak, the Russian healthcare system started monitoring mortality from community-acquired pneumonia very attentively," she said in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station published on Monday.

"All people with pneumonia seek assistance almost immediately, and, possibly, this reduces mortality from community-acquired pneumonia, including the one caused by the coronavirus," she said.

In her words, both ordinary Russians and the Russian healthcare system remain on high alert regarding cases of community-acquired pneumonia.

She said that this year, Russia saw less community-acquired pneumonia deaths than in 2019 and 2018.

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.

To date, a total of 47,121 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 3,446 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 405 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.