"If we are talking about such special conditions of burial as the cremation of patients who have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection ... then the statistics are made up of three directions," RIA Novosti quotes him.

According to the representative of the St. Petersburg Committee of Public Health, these statistics include patients who died from COVID-19, those who have a coronavirus concomitant disease and those who have a coronavirus infection detected at an autopsy.

“Considering the time of the beginning of the first wave, it was decided that all patients who are in re-profiled medical institutions and are potentially dangerous (in case of death) were either buried in a special way in closed coffins, or cremation was carried out,” Sarana said.

At the same time, the official statistics of deaths from coronavirus include those who died, the pathological report of which showed that they had an infection.

“Between the time of death of a patient and when he gets into the statistics, sometimes quite a long time passes (at first it was up to one and a half months).

Now this is happening quite quickly, ”the St. Petersburg Committee for Healthcare added.

The publication "Fontanka.Ru" published data from the cremation register, according to which from April 14 to October 28, 5868 bodies were burned in the crematorium No. 2 specially designated for those who died with coronavirus.

According to the operational headquarters, during this period, 3,674 deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded in the city.