Over the past 24 hours, 8,855 new cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in Russia, including 1,992 in Moscow, 758 in the Moscow region and 347 in St. Petersburg. A total of 197 people have died of the disease in the country over the past day, according to the Operational Center for Combating the Epidemic. The total number of infected people in the country now stands at 458.6 thousand, with 5,725 deaths. The Center also reports that more than 100,000 people in Moscow have recovered from Covid-19. For the fifth day in a row, the number of recoveries in the capital has exceeded the number of new cases. Nearly 85% of those infected in Moscow are under the age of 65.
In the Tver region, two 92-year-old female patients and one 90-year-old male patient have now recovered from coronavirus infection. A total of 1962 cases of Covid-19 infection have been identified in the region since the beginning of the epidemic, with 87 cases in the last 24 hours.
Zabaykalsky Krai is another problematic region. As of Saturday, 1471 cases of infection have been identified and 27 people have died. In Chita, the military set up a 100-bed field hospital within a day to treat patients with coronavirus. Vladimir Putin gave the order on Thursday. The hospital includes several sectors – from a room for initial examination to a ward for seriously ill patients.
The Ministry of Health of Russia has registered in the State Register of Medicinal Products for Medical Use a drug called Levilimab (trade name “Ilcira”), intended for the treatment of complications of coronavirus infection. The drug was originally developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It is currently in the third stage of clinical trials. According to doctors, the use of this drug has shown positive dynamics in the condition of patients with moderate Covid-19. “The drug is indicated for patients with severe disease progression when a so-called cytokine storm occurs – an excessive inflammatory response of the body to the invasion of the virus, which leads to tissue and organ damage, particularly lung tissue, and severe infection with a potentially fatal outcome. Preventing the development of a cytokine storm is extremely important in the treatment of Covid-19,” the Health Ministry statement said. Russian news agencies also report that Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to include the development of a coronavirus vaccine in the program to develop genomic research centers.
The book fair begins today on Red Square and will last for three days. It is expected that about 18,000 people will attend, but the number of visitors should not exceed 6,000 people per day. To visit the fair, it is necessary to go through the registration process. The festival is dedicated to the birthday of Alexander Pushkin. There is no information on how the coordination of such a massive event was carried out at the height of the quarantine and the ban on mass gatherings, but as the chairman of the festival’s organizing committee said, the decision to hold the festival was made “despite all adversities”. However, it is known that about ten publishers have declined to participate in the event, citing health risks to their employees. Children under the age of 7 and adults over the age of 65 will not be admitted to the fair for health reasons.
Meanwhile, in Yakutsk, the court is preparing to consider an administrative case against the Arctic State University, which organized a community cleanup day despite the strict self-isolation measures in the republic. Restrictions in Yakutia have been extended until June 14.