"A new set of reagents to detect the coronavirus infection was developed by... Rospotrebnadzor's Central Research Institute of Epidemiology... The diagnostic kit successfully passed clinical trials and was registered for use in the Russian Federation on 25 March", the watchdog said. "The new test meets all modern requirements for sensitivity and specificity and makes it possible to detect not only SARS-CoV-2... but to differentiate it from other SARS-Cov-related viruses, as well as MERS-Cov (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome)", it added.
On Monday, the Russian Academy of Sciences' vice president and head of the biomedical sciences unit Vladimir Chekhonin announced that three antiviral drugs to treat COVID-19 had been developed in the country in conjunction with scholars from the Academy.
At the moment, Russia has reported 1,836 coronavirus cases and at least 9 fatalities from the disease, 1,226 of them in Moscow. In order to curb the infection, President Putin also announced a paid week off, starting from 28 March, and urged people not to visit public places.
