Russia's head of coronavirus information says alarm over the virus is 'bulls---'

• On Wednesday, Alexander Myasnikov, Russia's head of coronavirus information, dismissed fears about the virus, saying they were: "bulls---."
• Myasnikov previously said it would be "impossible" for the coronavirus to reach Russia. His role includes battling misinformation about the virus and keeping the public informed about prevention and treatment.
• Last week, he celebrated Russia's official low death rate, which has been questioned by experts, by calling it a "Russian miracle."
• "The infection will take its toll, and we'll all get it," he also said. "Those meant to die will die. Everyone dies."

Russia's head of coronavirus information on Wednesday dismissed panic over the novel coronavirus as "bulls---" just days after Russia recorded its highest daily COVID-19 death toll.

Alexander Myasnikov, a doctor, media personality, and former adviser to President Vladimir Putin, told the Russian television anchor Ksenia Sobchak in an interview on her YouTube channel that fear over the coronavirus was over the top.

"It's all bulls---," he told Sobchak, according to The Moscow Times. "It's all exaggerated. It's an acute respiratory disease with minimal mortality."

"Why has the whole world been destroyed?" he added. "That I don't know."

Myasnikov was appointed Russia's coronavirus information chief in mid-April after previously predicting it would be "impossible" for the pandemic reach Russia, The Moscow Times reported. His role includes battling "fake news" about the virus and keeping the public informed about treatment and prevention.

The interview was released just a few days after Russia recorded its highest daily COVID-19 death toll, with 153 deaths on Sunday, Business Insider previously reported.

As of Thursday morning, Russia had reported the third-most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world after Brazil and the US, with 370,680, but a comparatively small number of deaths, with 3,968, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Last week, Myasnikov tried to stem coronavirus panic in an interview with a pro-Kremlin media personality, Vladimir Solovyov. "The infection will take its toll, and we'll all get it," he told Solovyov. "Those meant to die will die. Everyone dies."

He also celebrated Russia's low official death rate, calling it a "Russian miracle," according to The Moscow Times.

The country's death toll has been questioned by experts inside and outside the country. An analysis by the Financial Times published earlier in May estimated Russia's COVID-19 death toll could be 70% higher than the official record.

In April, 60% of the deaths of people in Moscow who had tested positive for COVID-19 were attributed to other causes. Officials said the reason for this was that Russia's methods were "exceptionally precise," Business Insider previously reported.

Myasnikov's comments about embracing death were quickly picked up by the Russian media, and he defended them by saying he was trying to reassure the population. He also accused the press of taking his comments out of context.

"The fact that a person is mortal shouldn't darken the days of our, alas, fleeting life," he posted on social media. "We should just live and enjoy this life."

Read the original article on Business Insider