Russians with suspected coronavirus to undergo another test in UAE

By Trend

The two Russian athletes who are said to have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will have to undergo repeated testing, Yury Vidakas, a senior counsellor of the Russian embassy in the UAE, told TASS on Tuesday, Trend reports

"We have seen the official statement from the UAE health ministry, although the embassy has not yet been officially notified by the country’ foreign ministry. They [the Russian citizens] will have to undergo repeated testing," he said.

According to Vidakas, other members of the Russia team underwent testing for the coronavirus as well. "There are some ten or 12 of them. They tested negative. But they will have to stay in the UAE for at least a week until the situation clarifies," he said, adding that the embassy stays in touch with the UAE authorities and is offering all necessary assistance to the Russian citizens.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention said earlier on Tuesday that two Russian nationals, who are participating in the UAE Tour cycling event, had beed diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple foci.

Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported from more than 70 other countries, including Russia. The most serious situation outside China is reported in Italy and South Korea.

According to the latest update, the number of confirmed cases of the disease in China has exceeded 80,000, with more than 2,900 people killed by this coronavirus. More than 47,200 have recovered. The number of coronavirus patients outside China nears 9,000. More than 120 have died.