Russia rolls out first approved COVID-19 drug as infections pass 500,000

Sumber: Reuters | Editor: Barratut Taqiyyah Rafie

With 502,436 cases, Russia has the third highest number of infections in the world after Brazil and the United States, but has a relatively low official death toll of 6,532 - something that has been the focus of debate.

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The Moscow health department on Wednesday raised its death toll for the month of May, citing changes in the way it determines the cause of death for patients suffering from other health problems.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday denied there was anything untoward with Russia's official coronavirus death data after the World Health Organization said this week that Russia's low death rate was "difficult to understand".