The coronavirus information chief of Russia recently predicted that the COVID-19 infection in the country is set to kill as many people as it needs to. He said this in U-turn as opposed to his previous prediction when he told that it was "impossible" for coronavirus to spread to Russia. Now the country has more medical personnel are dying.
Alexander Myasnikov, Doctor and television presenter got appointed to the post of coronavirus information chief. His main duty was to inform the public on COVID-19 treatment and prevention methods, while tackling fake news on the virus.
He called Russia's low death rates a "Russian miracle," while his earlier estimate said that the chances of novel coronavirus spreading in Russia was at "0.0 percent."
"The infection will still take its toll and we'll all get it," Myasnikov said in a Youtube video on Tuesday when he was interviewed. He also said, "Those meant to die will die. Everyone dies," said reports.
Medical workers die 16 times more than other countries
This comes at a time when the global coronavirus death toll is racing above 330,000 while the number of cases has crossed 5.1 million. Russian medical workers die 16 times more often compared to other countries with similar coronavirus outbreaks, reports Business Insider.
Mediazona, a Russian outlet, found that almost 7 percent of COVID-19 fatalities were healthcare workers. It meant that one in every 15 coronavirus deaths was a frontline worker.
Illusion
He urged the public that they don't need to panic over COVID-19 symptoms. He said, even if one contracts coronavirus, "so what?" At the same time he calls it an "illusion." According to Myasnikov, they might "run out of tests" if people run around testing for the virus "after every sneeze," while acknowledging that tests were needed to avoid infecting others.
Later, he blamed news outlets that they took his words "out of context" and said he told it as it helped to reassure people who felt uncertainty and had fears about the future.
Live and Enjoy: Coronavirus Info Chief
"There's no need to waste energy and destroy your psyche with panic. We're all mortal by dint of our existence," he wrote in a post on his social media. He reasoned that as humans were mortal, they should not darken the future days of a fleeting life. They should just "live and enjoy this life."
Russia confirmed 317,554 coronavirus cases so far, having the highest of infections only next to the US with relatively low deaths as much as 3,099. The same has led the world to suspect Russia's counting methods.
