COVID-19 test results of Russian workers at Belarusian nuclear power plant to be rechecked

MINSK, 13 April (BelTA) – Results of positive COVID-19 tests of Russian specialists working at the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site will be rechecked, BelTA learned from Belarusian Healthcare Minister Vladimir Karanik on 11 April.

According to the minister, about 100 people at the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site are now being observed by medics or are in isolation. Those are Russian workers and first-tier contacts. “Clarification diagnostics is in progress because some of the test systems produce different results,” the official noted.

“We will have three labs do the bloodwork simultaneously. For now we cannot confirm they have been infected with the coronavirus. A false positive result from the test systems is possible,” the minister stated.

The Belarusian healthcare minister explained that the Russian workers had been tested using foreign test kits first. Those tests produced positive results. Then the results were rechecked using test kits of Belarusian make. Those tests indicated the workers were not infected. “Now the material has been delivered to a reference lab in order to set the record straight,” Vladimir Karanik summed up.