Russia preparing against mass spread of coronavirus

Russia has been busy preparing against the mass spread of coronavirus in the country, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.

Some preventive measures have been taken, despite a lack of information that would allow forecasts on the disease's spread, Deputy Health Minister Sergey Krayevoy told reporters in Moscow.

"We cannot yet predict how this infection may spread in our country, because we do not have enough data to put into our mathematical model. But this in no way forces us to feel reassured, we are preparing against a possible large-scale spread of infection," he said.

Krayevoy added that three locations have been determined to place Russians evacuated from coronavirus-ridden provinces of China for an incubation period to see if they are infected or not.

In a separate statement, Russia's Defense Ministry said the first plane of the country's Aerospace Forces departed to Wuhan, China -- the disease's epicenter -- to repatriate Russians after getting permission from Chinese authorities.

The military pilots are accompanied by medical staff and virologists, protected by individual protective equipments, it said.

The novel coronavirus, so named because under the microscope it resembles a crown, has affected over 20,000 people.

The death toll in China from the virus climbed to 425, according to the country’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Tuesday.

The virus is said to have been transmitted to humans from animals, particularly bats.

The coronavirus has raised alarms worldwide, with cases reported across Asia, Europe, the U.S., and Canada.

Beyond China, the virus has spread to over 20 countries, including Belgium, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., Britain, Singapore, France, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, India, Nepal, Russia and Canada.

According to the World Health Organization's local office on Sunday, a 44-year-old man who reportedly died of the coronavirus in the Philippines on Saturday became the first confirmed death outside China. The patient was a Chinese national from Wuhan.

On Tuesday, Hong Kong reported its first death from the virus.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide. Several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.