MOSCOW (Reuters) – The novel coronavirus has penetrated more deeply into Moscow’s population than official data show, private testing results among people without symptoms suggest.
FILE PHOTO: People travel in a metro train during a partial lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Moscow, Russia April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Moscow, a city of 12.7 million people, is at the epicentre of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak, having officially recorded 26,350 cases as of April 20, equivalent to just over 0.2% of its population.
Early results from the first commercial Russian tests suggest that a much higher proportion of people in Moscow are infected, and that the disease has spread among residents without symptoms.
Four commercial laboratories in Moscow began offering tests at a cost of between 1,050 roubles and 3,395 roubles ($14-45) each in late March and early April exclusively to people whom state tests do not cover.
That means people with no symptoms, no history of recent travel or no known contact with coronavirus patients.
Employees from three Moscow-based private laboratories told Reuters that positive results were coming back in between 1% and 5% of cases – a wide range but a significantly greater share than the official tally.
Like many countries, Russia is not carrying out mass testing, focusing solely on people with symptoms, those who have returned from abroad or people who have had known contact with infected individuals.
The authorities do not dispute that the