Support The Moscow Times!

Russia to Diagnose Coronavirus Without Tests as Suspicions Mount

Russia is currently the world’s 17th-most affected country with 11,917 officially reported coronavirus cases Friday. Vyacheslav Prokofyev / TASS

Russian doctors will now be able to diagnose patients with coronavirus without running lab tests, the country’s top health official has said as Russia’s relatively low infection figures have drawn suspicion among medical experts.

The move comes after a new Russian study placed the accuracy of the country’s Covid-19 tests at 70% to 80%, with the rest being false negatives. Russia is currently the world’s 17th-most affected country with 11,917 officially reported coronavirus cases Friday.

“We see that the course of the disease is sometimes so quick that it has a distinct clinical picture,” Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said in an interview Thursday. 

“That’s why it’s diagnosed without laboratory confirmation. It’s standard practice for doctors,” Murashko told the state-run Rossia television channel. 

His interview follows Moscow doctors’ decision to treat all pneumonia patients as potential coronavirus patients because the fast-spreading virus often causes pneumonia.

A sharp spike in pneumonia cases in the Russian capital in March stoked concerns about the accuracy of coronavirus tests in the country, Reuters reported at the time. 

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned residents Friday that “we haven’t reached a peak” in coronavirus infections yet. 

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more