WHO/Europe’s Regional Director begins visit to Russian Federation with commitment to global solidarity in fight against COVID-19

On the first day of a country visit to the Russian Federation WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, met with the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, Dr Mikhail Murashko and Dr Anna Popova, head of the Russian Federation’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor).

Discussions covered a number of topics including the country’s response to COVID-19 and the importance of global cooperation in the on-going pandemic.

Related to the importance of multilateralism and global cooperation, during a press briefing alongside the Minister of Health, Dr Kluge commended the Russian Federation for its COVID-19 vaccine research and development efforts as well as sharing information with WHO as part of the global effort to find a safe and effective vaccine.

During the meeting with Dr Popova of Rospotrebnadzor, Dr Kluge discussed Russia’s response to COVID-19, including the importance of global solidarity in the fight against the virus. Rospotrebnadzor have been an important part of WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) which included a COVID-19 support mission in Tajikistan. Linked to COVID-19, Dr Kluge and Dr Popova also discussed the high-levels of influenza vaccination in the country.

The first day of the visit also included a meeting with the mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin as well as Mr Igor Shuvalov, Chair of the State Development Corporation of the Russian Federation and a member of the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development.