The state coronavirus task force reported 1,254 COVID-19
deaths, matching Friday’s tally.
The task force also reported 37,120 new confirmed cases. The
daily new infections in recent weeks appear to have a downward trend but still
remain higher than during previous surges of the virus.
The latest surge in deaths comes amid low vaccination rates
and lax public attitudes in Russia toward taking precautions. About 40% of
Russia’s nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though the
country approved a domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine — Sputnik V — months
before most of the world.
In total, Russia’s coronavirus task force has reported
nearly 9.3 million confirmed infections and 262,843 COVID-19 deaths, by far the
highest death toll in Europe.
Some experts believe the true figure is even higher. Reports
by Russia’s statistical service, Rosstat, that tally coronavirus-linked deaths
retroactively reveal much higher mortality. They say 462,000 people with
COVID-19 died between April 2020 and September of this year.
Russian officials have said the task force only includes
deaths for which COVID-19 was the main cause, and uses data from medical
facilities. Rosstat uses wider criteria for counting virus-related deaths and
takes its numbers from civil registry offices where registering a death is
finalized. -AP
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