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Claims that Covid-19 was unleashed deliberately are not backed by evidence & not relevant – Putin
Allegations that the Covid-19 pandemic was started deliberately are not backed by evidence and are ultimately irrelevant, the Russian president said. He also revealed how often he is tested for coronavirus.
“Claiming that [the pandemic] was caused by somebody unleashing it on purpose – there is absolutely no basis for it,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview. “If somebody chooses to stick to this version, nothing good will come out of it.”
He added that the origin of the virus causing Covid-19 is for specialists to establish, but it’s ultimately not important in the big picture.
What we should to do is fight against it and not dwell upon where it came from.
“Dealing with this epidemic effectively demands that we join our forces instead of blaming each other,” Putin stated.
The remarks released by Russia-1 TV on Sunday are a preview of an upcoming interview with the president.
Some US politicians, including President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have claimed that the Covid-19 outbreak started as a leak from a biolab in Wuhan, China – the city where the disease was first recorded in December 2019. Pompeo once even stated that the virus was “man-made,” in an apparent slip of the tongue.
Also on rt.com Covid contradiction? Pompeo believes coronavirus was 'man-made,' also agrees with intelligence that it was not
In the interview, Putin also explained the safety protocols he observes amid the epidemic, saying he tests for the virus every three or four days. When asked if they all came back negative, Putin said “yes, thank God.”
Several high-ranking Russian officials previously tested positive for Covid-19, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. Both have since recovered and resumed work.
Also on rt.com 10-million-case mark passed on Covid-19 contagion – Johns Hopkins tally
On Sunday, the world reached a grim milestone as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases globally surged past 10 million. Russia is among nations with the largest reported number of infections. The total currently stands at 634,437, with roughly 400,000 patients already recovered from the disease.
The death toll from the virus has surpassed 9,000 in Russia, with 104 new fatalities since Saturday. The US and Brazil, the only two nations that have more Covid-19 cases than Russia does, have over 125,500 and 57,000 deaths respectively.
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