Putin: Number of COVID-19 Fatalities in Russia Much Lower than in Other Countries

"According to one of the basic criteria of the effectiveness of our work - the mortality rate, - the situation looks good: in Russia per 100,000 of population the coronavirus fatalities are lower than in many other countries, including the European countries with the developed healthcare system," he said at the meeting of the council for strategic development and national projects.

Putin noted that "in Russia currently there are over 300,000 people tested daily, as of July 11 of this year, more than 170,377 specialized hospital slots are prepared with only 66% of them today used for the intended purpose." "Of course, this allowed us to begin a gradual transfer of the medical institutions mobilized - which we also managed to do rather quickly, - to the standard operating mode," the president stated, TASS reported.

"The daily percentage of the detected cases of the disease in our country remains stable, and the number of those recovered grows," the head of state emphasized. According to him, "in relation with that, an overwhelming number of the subjects of the Russian Federation have started to lift the lockdowns and the anti-epidemic restrictions."

"Yes, of course, the battle with this threat still continues, but the important thing is, we see the positive dynamics, now it is important to proceed with care, of course, according to the situation unfolding, and to continue the effort to overcome the damage caused by the epidemic to the economy and the social sphere," Putin pointed out.