Chinese Medics Have Tested Russian Systems For Coronavirus Detection, Confirm Their Effectiveness

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia needs a strain of coronavirus for study, the issue will soon be resolved, Anna Popova, head of Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection, said Monday.

"We need a variant of the virus, I think this issue will be resolved soon," Popova told reporters.

She clarified that there are various possible algorithms, and Russian experts use all available methods.

Popova also said that the Chinese medics have tested the Russian test-systems for the detection of coronavirus, and confirmed their effectiveness.

"Our Chinese colleagues took our test-system, tested it completely independently in their laboratory conditions and proved its high level of efficiency," she stressed.

The new strain of coronavirus — 2019-nCoV — was first detected in December in Wuhan, and has since spread to more than 20 countries. Currently, the death toll from the illness is more than 900 in China, with the total number of registered cases exceeding 40,000.

According to the head of Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection, in Russia, more than 20,000 people with suspected coronavirus infection remain under medical monitoring. At the same time, the official said that there's no grounds for introducing any quarantine measures in Russia.