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Empty Sweep: Red Square in Moscow. Image: AP
10 points showing that some things are going wrong in Russia
According to his own statements, Russia largely escaped the corona virus for a long time. But in recent days, the evidence has increased and the number of new cases has exploded. This is currently happening in the giant empire.
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The number of cases
Russia reported its first two crown cases on February 2. But then it was silent for a long time. It was not until March 3 that another message was added. As a result, the numbers developed very slowly. At least officially. This was probably due to the few tests that were carried out. The fact is that: in recent days, the curve with the total number of cases has been steeper than in any other country.
On May 4, Russia reported around 145,000 cases. Italy is around 210,000.
Number of cases in Russia and Italy.
If the Russians can’t break the curve quickly, Corona’s number of falls will soon exceed Italy’s.
Corona virus: the situation worldwide:
New cases every day.
While Europe is preparing to relax its blockade measures or has already begun to do so, Russia’s curve is sharply increasing. This is particularly evident in the recently reported daily cases. On May 3 alone, Russia recorded 10,633 new cases in 24 hours, a new record.
Crown cases reported daily
New infections per million inhabitants.
The fact that the number of cases is relatively high is obvious in a populated country like Russia. With 143,989,754 inhabitants, Russia has around two and a half times more than Italy (around 60 million inhabitants). That is why we look here at the positive results for every 100,000 inhabitants:
Corona cases reported per 100,000 inhabitants
Here Russia is still significantly behind Switzerland and Italy. For the same rate as Switzerland, Russia would have to show around 500,000 people who tested positive.
The number of tests
One of the main reasons why Russian numbers have skyrocketed for a few days is the testability. While there was hardly any testing at first in the great empire, Worldometers currently reports around 4.5 million tests, in the US alone. USA There was more.
In Russia, tests have been massively more frequent for a few days. Image: AP
Broken down into one million inhabitants (about 30,000 per million inhabitants), one is found in Russia at the level of Austria (30,000) or Switzerland (32,000). Spain (41,000) tested significantly more.
What is Putin doing?
President Vladimir Putin played down the danger in March. Probably one of the reasons was that he wanted to vote on a constitutional reform on April 22. This should allow him to be reelected president in 2024 and 2036. At the end of March he had to return.
Putin has been put on the defensive. Its 20th anniversary of its first opening was supposed to be celebrated on May 7. But the Kremlin chief sits in his suburban Moscow residence, Nowo-Ogarjowo, like a bunker and, in the opinion of many Russians, acts remarkably defensive in the crisis.
He wanted to change the constitution and celebrate his anniversary on Thursday. But now Vladimir Putin is on the defensive. Image: EPA
For weeks, the 67-year-old has been delegating unpopular decisions in long-winded televised video conferences to governors who had little real power.
Political scientist Andrej Perzew of the Moscow Carnegie Center studies attests that he has “lost the reality”, especially since Putin recently said that 70 percent of Russians belonged to the middle class. Whoever earns 17,000 rubles (about 200 euros) a month meets the criteria. Perzew analyzes that Putin no longer listens to consultants and makes mistakes.
The overview of the situation in Switzerland:
The measures in Russia
Russia closed the border with China very early. Since mid-March, a large part of the events have been canceled, universities, theaters and museums have been closed.
Moscow, which is clearly the worst affected region, has had strict exit restrictions since early April. For example, anyone who goes to work needs a permit.
The streets and squares are sprayed with disinfection carts in Moscow. Image: EPA
President Putin announced a week off in late March. The problem: Many Russians then traveled to their country houses, the vacation homes. Just three days later, on April 2, Putin extended the nonworking period to April 30. On April 28, it was renewed again. It is currently valid until May 11. Under the order, wages are normally paid during this time. But is that feasible?
When does Putin open his “treasure chest”?
Now desperate cries are heard for help from desperate citizens and businessmen that Putin should open his “treasure chest.” Russia is one of the countries with the largest reserves of money and gold in the world. But state support is still a long way off in Russia.
Alexei Navalny demands immediate payment from the population. Image: EPA
Opposition politician Alexei Navalny presented his plan “Five Steps for Russia: Saving Citizens and the Economy”. He asked for around 20,000 rubles (about 242 euros) in emergency aid per citizen. Social media is full of posts from desperate people who don’t know how to make ends meet. There are aid packages in many places, a governor now offered piglets and potatoes.
The head of the central bank, Elwira Nabiullina, must ensure that the ruble does not fall to the bottom. Image: EPA
But the Kremlin rejected Nawalny’s proposal as a populist. The head of the central bank, Elwira Nabiullina, warned that such payments led to the “explosion of inflation”. It is mainly concerned with saving the ruble from the bottom after the fall in oil prices. Russia’s currency is based on the price of oil and therefore lost massive amounts against the dollar and the euro. The bank then poured billions of currencies into the market to back the ruble.
Doctors fall out of the windows
Finally heartbreaking news turned around: in ten days, three doctors fell out of the windows. The cases are puzzling. However, some believe the deaths may be related to the fact that doctors were overly critical of the fight against the crown in Russia.
More information can be found here:
Construction of emergency hospitals.
Temporary hospitals are currently being built in Moscow. A 4,000-bed emergency clinic will be built at the huge VDNCh exhibition site, Moscow Mayor Petr Birjukow said Monday, according to the Tass State Agency.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin visits a hospital in his city. Image: AP
“We will complete the job in about 20 days.” Around 2,000 workers work 24 hours. According to Birjukow, the megacity is currently preparing 44 temporary clinics with a total of 10,000 beds in 44 locations.
How well equipped is Russia?
Medical care has been working for weeks. In mid-March, Russia sent doctors, respirators, and disinfection materials to Italy. It was a successful hit.
But even then, and now much more, one wonders: how well is Russia equipped? Putin is unlikely to be satisfied with the response.
In the health sector, Russia currently lacks every corner. Image: AP
Recently, there have been reports of doctors and medical personnel who have little protective equipment, and who sometimes die from Covid-19.
None of this fits the picture drawn by state media that Russia has everything under control. In a video message for Easter, Putin showed himself in front of a fireplace with cake and tea, with the standard phrase: “Everything will be fine.” But many Russians wonder what world their president lives in.
(with sda material)
What you need to know about the corona virus:
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