Since the pandemic started, we haven’t heard as much about infected people in Russia.

There were even speculations that Russia is hiding the real number of coronavirus patients.

However, up to date, there are over 262,000 reported infections in Russia, and half of it in Moscow, the capital with 12 million people.

This Friday, Moscow authorities started free coronavirus antibody testing for their citizens.

The testing program was announced by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, saying that people can approach 30 clinics throughout the city and test for coronavirus antibodies.

With the help of the testing program, the officials could see the real image of how many people have developed antibodies due to a COVID-19 infection.

According to Sobyanin, starting today, 70,000 people will receive an invitation for antibody testing in the next few days, and it’s expected that by the end of the month, the number of daily tests reaches 200,000.

After having the results from the testing, city authorities can then coordinate the work of the health care workers, and also make a plan for easing the lockdown, according to the outcome.

As for the scientists, they still remain divided whether the obtained immunity is long-lasting and can protect a person from reinfecting.

The WHO (World Health Organization) is still evaluating the available tests and alerts governments that there are still faulty coronavirus antibody tests on the market.