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Coronavirus pandemic

Number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Belarus exceeds 215,000

Belarus did not impose any coronavirus lockdowns, with mass gathering not being banned

© Natalia Fedosenko/TASS

MINSK, January 12. /TASS/. As many as 1,731 more novel coronavirus cases were confirmed in Belarus in the past day, with the overall number of such cases exceeding 215,000, the health ministry reported on Tuesday.

"As many as 215,724 people, or 2.25% of the country’ population, have tested positive for COVID-19," it said, adding that the daily tally was 1,731.

"A total of 1,535 coronavirus patients with a number of chronic diseases have died since the epidemic outbreak," it said, adding that nine such deaths were reported during the past day. According to the latest update, as many as 197,851 coronavirus patients have recovered from the disease, including 1,567 during the day. A total of 4,144,027 tests for the novel coronavirus have been conducted in the country since the epidemic outbreak, including 4,909 during the past day.

Belarus did not impose any coronavirus lockdowns, with mass gathering not being banned. The authorities pledge that the country’s public health system is prepared for the second wave of the epidemic. However, people are requested to wear face masks in public places. A vaccination campaign as part of post-registration tests of the Russian Sputnik V anti-coronavirus vaccine kicked off in Belarus from October 1. Mass vaccination was launched in late December 2020 after the first batch of the Russian vaccine had been delivered to the country. It is planned to inoculate some 1.2 million people by the end of spring. Joint production of the Russian vaccine is expected to be launched in Belarus in February or March.

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