According to the Kremlin, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is self-isolating after people in his inner circle tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The news was announced during Putin’s phone call with his counterpart, President Emomali Rahmon, Tajikistan. Putin received his second shot of the Sputnik Covid-19 vaccine back in April and is fully vaccinated.
President Putin tested negative for Covid-19
According to news, Vladimir Putin tested negative; however, he did attend several indoor public meetings yesterday. This was before finding out he is a close contact with people who tested positive. There is no further information regarding how many people from his inner circle tested positive, and for how many more days President Putin will remain in self-isolation. President Putin has rarely been spotted wearing a face mask, and he has engaged in several indoor activities.
Russia has many Covid-19 daily cases
Although daily infection in Russia decreased from around 20,000 to 17,000, the country still has many new cases. Russian people are skeptical about getting vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and only 32% of the population received at least one dose. It might be the case that President Putin wants to protect itself from infections, despite the little to no restrictions for Russian people. The Kremlin Government declared that President Putin is healthy and will resume his duties through video conference.
How does Russia count its Covid-19 fatalities?
Many in the West remain skeptical of Russia’s Covid-19 death toll, as the numbers are pretty low for the number of daily cases. So far, the official numbers of people who died due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection are only 194,259, while the total number of infections reported is 7,176,085. From the pandemic’s beginning, people wondered if Russian authorities are certifying deaths due to Covid-19 differently from other countries.
