Oh, Blessed Russia!

"While the whole world is facing an outbreak of a new coronavirus, Russia is facing an outbreak of a community-acquired pneumonia."
"And, as usual, we're facing the lie of the authorities."
Anastasia Vasilyeva, president, Doctors' Alliance trade union

"We see quite a lot of people who are staying at home and just not getting tested -- people who have returned from abroad."
"They're feeling fine, thank God."
"The testing volume is very low and nobody knows the real picture."
"In reality, there are far more people who are infected."
Sergei Sobyanin, mayor, Moscow 

"How much biomaterial can be sent to one laboratory?"
"It will simply drown. It is absolutely not possible."
Dr.Vsevolod Shurkhay, Moscow neurosurgery clinic

"I do not think that at the moment there is any space for testing speculation about the quality."
"The WHO is working closely with the institute producing the test .. "
"We are looking into the comparative and the quality of testing, and for the moment, there are no major concerns."
Melita Vujnovic, Russia representative, World Health Organization

A man kisses the relics of John the Baptist in Kazan cathedral in central St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 15, 2020. As late as Sunday, Orthodox parishioners were lining up to kiss church icons without wiping them down, but more stringent measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus are coming into place Wednesday, closing the country's borders to foreigners and limiting indoor gatherings to fewer than 50 people. (Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

The 149 million people living in Russia are grateful to Vladimir Putin for keeping them safe and secure from all manner of threats emanating from outside the Russian Federation to target them. For the most part, military threats. And there now also is a global pandemic threatening them, as it threatens people vulnerable to its predatory invasion of the human body in its search for hosts where the virus can find one new haven after another allowing it to replicate without end and contaminate endlessly.

But not in Russia. Other countries may be ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic but Russians can be assured that their borders have been locked tight and no threats may enter. They have it on the highest authority, the very man whom they will permit to rule Russia until his days on this mortal coil run dry. In the entire population of 149 million a mere 495 confirmed cases have been diagnosed. And possibly one death. How enviable, when countries like Iran, Italy and Spain are suffering losses threatening to supercede those of China itself.

"In Russia, things are not like they are in Europe. Things are going along in their normal way," "[Though the virus has been inflicted on Russia by foreigners -- but the country is successfully fighting back.]"
"It's big, scrupulous work, but the results are clear."
 Dmitry Kiselyov,  pro-Kremlin, Vesti Nedeli (News of the Week)

Few novel coronavirus cases or deaths associated with them, but the peculiar coincidence of a steep rise nationally in cases of pneumonia, that some doctors in their ignorance have the gall to claim may be associated with COVID-19. And where health-care workers are outfitted in hazmat suits when treating novel coronavirus patients, but not in their treatment of pneumonia patients. Which irritates Anastasia Vasilyeva, a supporter of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, no end.

According to President Putin "the situation in our country looks a lot better" than what is transpiring elsewhere, in Europe, because Russia has the situation "under control". So well controlled that when he visited one of Moscow's coronavirus hospitals Mr. Putin was fully geared in a hazmat suit. In Moscow, a 37 percent increase was seen in pneumonia as compared to a year earlier, according to Russia's statistics agency, Rossstat.

 Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting  (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin/Reuters)

The Russian population, devout to their orthodox piety and trust in their president, appears not to be afflicted with the kind of deep concerns and fears evidenced elsewhere. Of course, some precautions have been taken; the closing of borders, cancellation of sporting events, schools placed on hold, but as for large-scale commercial closures, curfews and social isolation, quite unneeded. So much so that the government has felt free to charitably dispatch medical equipment along with "teams of Russian specialists" to aid Italy.

According to the WHO's Russia representative, Russia's success in quelling the infection rate is entirely due to its having taken early preventive steps to close the border with China and recommending two-week periods of self-isolation for anyone leaving a coronavirus hub to enter Russia. Roughly 195,000 coronavirus tests have been administered, and 94,000 people are under medical observation.

The 79-year-old woman whose death had been attributed to COVID-19 really died from a blood clot, and did not represent a coronavirus fatality, according to Moscow authorities. And the WHO has nothing but admiration for Moscow's resolve to ensure that the situation does not get out of hand, congratulating Mr. Putin for his steady hand and wise decision-making, just as it had China and President Xi.

No workers at Moscow's coronavirus 'hotline' call centre were wearing masks when CBC News visited and many were sitting within two metres of each other. (Chris Brown/CBC)