MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/: The Russian Health Ministry on Tuesday said it has introduced methods of urgent post-contact prevention against the novel coronavirus infection for medical personnel to be taken in case biological liquids get on the skin or mucous membranes.
"Methods have been developed of urgent post-contact prevention of the coronavirus infection for medical personnel to follow if biological liquids get on the skin or mucous membranes," the Health Ministry said in a news release.
All medical staff undergo daily medical examination and remote thermometry.
"Protecting medical personnel is a duty and high priority of all managers of health service establishments. It is essential to not just provide individual protection items, but to implement anti-epidemiological measures at the level of the organization and to ensure the personnel take all necessary precautions to maintain epidemiological safety," the ministry’s press-service quotes Health Minister Mikhail Murashko as saying.
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 1,900,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 119,000 deaths have been reported.
To date, a total of 21,102 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 1,694 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 170 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.
