Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency:  Newsflash

Russian experts are recommending women to have abortions or to “not get pregnant” in the first place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Viktor Maleev from the Russian Academy of Science and Head of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor recently made a statement saying that even though there is no information about how COVID-19 might affect babies, it might still be risky for women to become pregnant during the pandemic.

Maleev said that the virus can potentially be most dangerous in the early months of pregnancy.

He said: “We recommend to be careful at the early stages, do not get pregnant or terminate.

“There is evidence that coronavirus can influence conception, affects seminal glands of men and women as well as causes strong enzymatic changes.”

Even though COVID-19 could potentially make the early stages of pregnancy complicated, if the mother then later develops pneumonia as a result of the virus, it would make her life extremely difficult.

Maleev added: “It will be hard to cure the disease. There were a few cases like that in China, but thankfully everything turned out well.”

The Russian expert also remarked that it is very likely to get COVID-19 through paperwork, which might have been exposed to infected saliva.

“It is better to work with gadgets, but it is important to wipe them.”

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