Russian Lab Worker’s Mystery Death Triggers Quarantine And Covid-19 Concerns

Russia faced growing questions Monday after a worker at a specialized anti-plague laboratory in Siberia died from an unexplained case of pneumonia and nearly 200 people were reportedly placed under medical observation near Irkutsk.

For more formal reports, read this.

The death prompted authorities to quarantine at least one hospital facility as Russian officials insisted there was no evidence connecting the illness to the woman’s work at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East.

Igor Kobsev, governor of the Irkutsk region, said the employee died last week from a “pneumonia of undetermined” origin.

Kobsev said no “microorganisms linked to the employee’s professional activities were detected” in her body and there had been “no new cases” among other workers at the institute.

“The sanitary-epidemiological situation” in the region “is currently stable,” Kobsev said.

This has drawn international attention.

Maksim Modin, mayor of the Shelekhov municipal district near Mongolia, said Friday that the inpatient facility where the woman was reportedly treated had been placed under quarantine. Russian media reported that nearly 200 people who had contact with the employee were placed under precautionary medical observation.

Russian outlets have identified the worker as a 28-year-old woman, though officials have not confirmed her identity or age.

The lack of a confirmed cause of death has prompted calls for Moscow to provide more information.

“Many details have not been confirmed,” a State Department spokesman said. “We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly.”

The spokesman acknowledged “reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague” in the Irkutsk region.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that U.S. officials were closely watching the situation despite limited travel between Russia and the United States.

“I don’t think it’s cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause just to keep an eye on it,” Rubio said.

The World Health Organization also said it was aware of reports involving the worker’s death from “severe pneumonia” but stressed that “no cause of death has been officially confirmed.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov directed questions toward Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer welfare agency, which is investigating the death.

“It is their official statements that should be relied upon— rather than paying heed to various rumors, speculations, and the like,” Peskov said. “Rospotrebnadzor employs highly qualified professionals in this field, so let us heed their official statements.”

Dr. Ashish Jha, the former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said additional information from Russian authorities would be important while cautioning against assuming the incident could become a wider health crisis.

“We may see a few more people get infected, but the chances that this becomes a larger outbreak, let alone a global pandemic, is exceedingly low,” Jha said.

Pneumonic plague is caused by the same bacteria responsible for bubonic plague. It can spread between people through respiratory droplets and requires rapid antibiotic treatment.

This is scary. A laboratory employee’s unexplained fatal illness, a hospital quarantine and almost 200 people under observation has some worried about a Covid-19 x 100.