NOVO-OGARYOVO, April 21. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for equipping more hospital beds for receiving coronavirus patients even if such beds may not be needed, for which he said he hopes.
"We understand that it [extra beds and equipment] may not be needed, I hope to God, but we must have that all the same," he said on Tuesday at an online meeting with governor of the Far Eastern Primorsky Territory.
The Russian leader said he hoped the territory’s authorities would be able to implement all their plans concerning combating the coronavirus infection. "The more so as you are demonstrating good results," he noted. "So, you should continue this way."
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 2,484,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 170,000 deaths have been reported.
To date, a total of 52,763 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 3,873 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 456 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.
