Prognosis

Experts Question Russian Data on Covid-19 Death Toll

WHO says it’s in talks with Russia about reported death rate
Deputy premier says Russia isn’t manipulating statistics

Health workers exit a Covid-19 contamination area at the Federal Clinical Center of Higher Medical Technologies near Moscow, on May 12.Photographer: Sergei Bobylev/TASS via Getty Images

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By Henry Meyer

May 13, 2020 at 11:42 AM UTC

Corrected

May 16, 2020 at 3:48 PM UTC

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As Russia’s surging coronavirus infections have turned it into a global epidemic hotspot second only to the U.S., one thing puzzles health experts: Why is it reporting so few deaths?