‘Fake’. Diplomats set to address Russian TV report on coronavirus death in Belarus
The Belarusian Health Ministry has expressed outrage over Russian Channel One’s voicing a misleading report and called it a lie. According to the state run-media outlet, the first coronavirus deaths were recorded in the United States, Australia, Thailand and Belarus.
“In connection with spreading fake information about Belarus by Russian Channel One, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take corresponding response measures,” the press service of the Health Ministry announced.
Shortly after the reaction of the Belarusian side, the news story video was removed from the Channel One website.
According to Belarusian health workers, three COVID-19 cases were registered in the country. The patients do not have the clinical symptoms of the disease. the authorities state.
The first case was detected and confirmed in Belarus in late February: an Iranian national who is studying at the Belarusian National Technical University tested positive. On February 29, the Health Ministry said that the father of a girlfriend of the BNTU student from Iran could also be infected. The agency called the results of his tests ‘questionable’.
On March 1, the Health Ministry reported that a test of resident of Vitsebsk region revealed that a fragment of RNA ‘may belong’ to the 2019-nCoV. Shortly before, the woman and her colleagues had been to Italy on a business trip.
“At present, three patients are suspected of having coronavirus infection in health care institutions of Belarus. All three are in satisfactory condition, there are no clinical manifestations of the disease,” the Belarusian officials said.
The WHO urges people to take care of their health and protect others by following the recommendations.
