Kremlin: Russia informed WHO of Irkutsk region situation after worker death
In short
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has informed the World Health Organization about the situation in the Irkutsk region, following the death of an employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute. Peskov also said he had no information about an ABC News report that the US State Department sent Moscow a diplomatic protest and sought more transparency. Rospotrebnadzor has called the region's sanitary situation calm, reporting two COVID-19 and two rhinovirus cases among contacts and no other pathogens.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has informed the World Health Organization about the situation in the Irkutsk region, RIA Novosti, TASS, Vedomosti and RBC reported. Peskov said the notification was made “in accordance with existing practice,” and again urged that Rospotrebnadzor data be treated as the reference point, according to Vedomosti. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Vedomosti reported that Peskov was commenting on an ABC News report that the US State Department had allegedly sent Moscow a diplomatic protest and urged the Russian side to ensure greater transparency about what happened. Peskov said, “I do not have such information.” RBC likewise reported that the Kremlin said it had no information about reported US plans for a demarche. [ 3 , 4 ]
The case concerns an employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute of Siberia and the Far East, who died in the night of 2 October, according to Rospotrebnadzor. The agency said she had been diagnosed with pneumonia of unspecified etiology, and that extended studies found no microorganisms connected with her professional activity, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 ]
On 6 October Rospotrebnadzor described the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region as calm. Two cases of COVID-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection were identified among contact persons, and specialists found no other pathogens of infectious diseases, according to the agency. Medical observation was completed for 60% of contact persons. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The case has drawn international attention because it involves a worker at a biological research institute and a death from pneumonia of unexplained origin, prompting Russia to notify the WHO under what the Kremlin described as existing practice. Vedomosti's account of a reported US protest, which the Kremlin said it could not confirm, adds a diplomatic dimension to a public-health matter. The documents give no indication of further measures or of a confirmed cause of death.
Key facts
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia informed the World Health Organization about the situation in the Irkutsk region. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Peskov said he had no information about an ABC News report that the US State Department had sent Moscow a diplomatic protest and called for greater transparency. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Peskov again urged reliance on Rospotrebnadzor data. [ 3 ]
- An employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute of Siberia and the Far East died in the night of 2 October, according to Rospotrebnadzor. [ 3 ]
- Rospotrebnadzor said she had been diagnosed with pneumonia of unspecified etiology, and that extended tests found no microorganisms linked to her professional activity. [ 3 ]
- On 6 October Rospotrebnadzor described the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region as calm, with two COVID-19 cases and two rhinovirus infections found among contacts and no other infectious agents detected. [ 3 ]
- Medical observation was completed for 60% of contacts, Rospotrebnadzor said. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the US State Department sent Moscow a diplomatic protest over the case and called for greater transparency. The claim comes from ABC News as cited by Vedomosti; Peskov said he had no such information, and no document confirms the demarche.
- The cause of the institute employee's death. Rospotrebnadzor said she was diagnosed with pneumonia of unspecified etiology and that extended studies found no microorganisms connected to her professional work; the documents do not give a final cause.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti and TASS report Peskov's statement that the WHO was informed about the situation in the Irkutsk region. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Vedomosti publishes a fuller account, including Peskov's comment on the ABC News report of a US protest and Rospotrebnadzor's earlier findings. [ 3 ]
- RBC reports that Russia informed the WHO and that the Kremlin has no information on reported US plans for a demarche. [ 4 ]
- In the night of 2 October an employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute of Siberia and the Far East died, Rospotrebnadzor said, after being diagnosed with pneumonia of unspecified etiology. [ 3 ]
- On 6 October Rospotrebnadzor called the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region calm, reporting two COVID-19 and two rhinovirus cases among contacts and completion of medical observation for 60% of them. [ 3 ]