Despite cough, fever, Navalny continues hunger strike

Despite cough, fever, Navalny continues hunger strike

MOSCOW: Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Monday said he was suffering from a heavy cough and fever but would continue a hunger strike he launched last week demanding adequate medical treatment. Navalny, 44, announced the hunger strike last Wednesday, complaining a prison doctor had only given him painkillers as treatment for severe back pain and numbness in his legs.

His team the next day said he had already lost eight kilograms (18 pounds) before going on hunger strike-down from the 93 kilograms (205 pounds) he weighed when he arrived at his penal colony-due to sleep deprivation. In a post on his Instagram Monday, Navalny reported new ailments. "I am quoting the official data from today's temperature measurement: 'Navalny A.A., strong cough, temperature 38.1',“ he wrote, referring to degrees Celsius, or 100.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

"P.S. I am continuing my hunger strike, of course,“ Navalny said. Later the pro-Kremlin Izvestia daily said that Navalny had been transferred to a medical unit for observation, with "signs of a respiratory problem, notably a high fever“. All the necessary tests were carried out, including a coronavirus test, the paper said, citing prison services. There was no confirmation of such a transfer from the Navalny camp. The