Russia’s state coronavirus task force reported 936 new
deaths on Friday, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic. It
was a third straight day when daily COVID-19 deaths topped 900.
Russia already has Europe’s highest death toll in the
pandemic — more than 214,000 — and the authorities’ conservative way of
recording COVID-19 fatalities suggests the actual number could be even higher.
On Friday, the government’s task force reported 27,246 new
confirmed cases, just slightly less than Thursday’s number of 27,550, which was
the highest so far this year.
A steep rise in infections and deaths began in late
September, with authorities blaming it on the low vaccination rate. As of
Tuesday, almost 33% of Russia’s 146 million people had received at least one
shot of a coronavirus vaccine, and 29% were fully vaccinated.
But the Kremlin has shrugged off the idea of imposing a new
nationwide lockdown, delegating the power to tighten restrictions to regional
authorities.
In some areas of the country, including Moscow and St.
Petersburg, life remains largely normal, with businesses operating as usual and
mask mandates loosely enforced.
Some regions have limited attendance at large public events
and restricted access to theaters, restaurants and other places to people who
have been vaccinated, recently recovered from COVID-19 or tested negative in
the previous 72 hours. Critics argue, however, that these measures aren’t
enough to stem the surge.
In some areas, Russia’s massive yet severely underfunded
health care system has started to show signs of being overwhelmed by the
outbreak.
Overall, Russia’s coronavirus task force has registered over
7.7 million confirmed cases and 214,485 deaths. However, reports by Russia’s
state statistical service Rosstat that tally coronavirus-linked deaths
retroactively reveal significantly higher mortality numbers.