Pandemic Panic: Vladimir Putin Reopens Temporary COVID-19 Hospitals as New Virus Strain Spreads Across Country

Vladimir Putin reportedly ordered temporary COVID-19 hospitals to reopen as a new virus strain rips across the country, RadarOnline.com has learned.

In a startling development to come as the world continues to recover from the initial COVID pandemic that spread across the globe in 2021, a new virus strain was reportedly found among patients in Russia this week.

According to Daily Star, the new variant is called Pirola and at least 20 patients tested positive for the strain in the city of Kommunarka on Monday.

Russian officials also ordered public servants to start wearing masks again on Monday amid fears that the Pirola variant will mutate further and spread farther across the already COVID-ravaged country.

“On September 18, the previous coronavirus rules were returned to the Government House,” the Russian news outlet Baza reported. “Now officials must again wear masks and reduce the number of visitors, as well as limit contact between themselves and the number of business trips.”

“The elevators in the Kremlin have also been switched to quarantine mode: they will transport no more than three people at a time,” the outlet continued.

Still, the World Health Organization reported that Russia likely suffered approximately 400,000 deaths and experienced nearly 230 million total cases during the first pandemic in 2021.

The WHO also reported that Russia provided nearly 200 million vaccine doses to its citizens during the initial COVID pandemic, although it is unclear how effective those doses were compared to the vaccines produced by the West.

“It is clear that there is some degree of widespread community transmission, both in the UK and globally, and we are working to ascertain the full extent of this,” Dr. Renu Bindra of the UK Health Security Agency said regarding the new COVID variant’s transmissibility.

“In the meantime,” Dr. Bindra continued, “it remains vital that all those eligible come forward to receive their autumn vaccine as soon as it is offered to them.”

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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the new COVID strain ripping across Russia came after it was revealed that Putin, 70, is “mortally afraid” of catching the deadly virus.

A former captain of the Russian Secret Service, Gleb Karakulov, detailed the strict safety measures that agents must adhere to due to the Russian leader’s fear of the virus.

"We have a self-isolating President," Karakulov explained earlier this year. "We have to observe a strict quarantine for two weeks before any event, even those lasting 15 to 20 minutes."

"There is a pool of employees who have been cleared — who underwent the two-week quarantine," he continued. "They are considered ‘clean’ and can work in the same room as Putin."