MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. The novel coronavirus pandemic-related crisis will boost investment into medical science and biotechnologies, but the question how products of this research will be used on the mass scale will vary from country to country, the rector of the MGIMO University, Anatoly Torkunov, said in an exclusive interview to TASS Director-General Mikhail Gusman.

"The medics and scientists, whatever their current problems, have lived to see the day when they are in the greatest demand. It will be possible to expect greater investment in medical and biotechnologies. Both branches have long been on the list of breakthrough reforms of the future. Now they will get a special impetus," said Torkunov, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

At the same time, he stressed that different countries would determine the end result of such innovations in their own way. They will have to choose between the development and introduction of extra-expensive and unique technological solutions for the elite and medical care of all citizens.

In his opinion the current crisis has demonstrated that the health service systems in many countries performed poorly in their response such challenge as high infection rates, although they are capable of handling some unique cases and curing grave illnesses.

"There has emerged the question of medical sovereignty, if you wish. Many governments are pondering over how to reform the health system with a special emphasis on the mass segment and on deploying critically important manufacturing facilities in their own territories," Torkunov said.

Also, in the struggle against the coronavirus the importance of state sovereignty has appeared in the forefront alongside the problems of the health service proper.

"In fighting the coronavirus, it is not so much important how effective and high-tech your health service is as whether you are capable of arranging for and maintaining quarantine measures and minimizing the damage to the economy and the social sphere, inevitable in such cases. Well-organized countries are capable of coping with this challenge far better," he explained.

Torkunov foresees another controversial issue the pandemic will entail: the use of digital technologies, which "may give an impetus to development but at the same time breed inequality."

"Many countries have deployed cyber systems to enforce quarantines and lockdowns. The legal and ethical aspects of this are still to gauged," he warned.

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 4,905,800 people have been infected worldwide and more than 320,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 1,916,300 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

To date, a total of 299,941 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 76,130 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 2,837 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.