MOSCOW – Health officials in Moscow updated their figures on coronavirus deaths Thursday, seeking to dispel doubts about Russia's comparatively low COVID-19 death toll.
The health department in the Russian capital said Moscow's coronavirus mortality rate for April was 1.4% to 2.8% depending on the calculation method, a range significantly lower than in London, New York and some other major cities.
On top of 636 deaths in April directly caused by COVID-19 reported earlier, the Moscow Health Department added the deaths of 756 people who tested positive for the virus but died of other causes.
It noted that in 360 of those cases, the coronavirus acted as a “catalyst,” exacerbating the patients’ conditions and contributing to their deaths.