Russia sets another COVID record as world battles Delta variant
By AFP - Jul 04,2021 - Last updated at Jul 04,2021
A healthcare worker administers a dose of Russia s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at a vaccination centre in the GUM, State Department store in Moscow, on Friday (AFP photo)
MOSCOW Russia reported its fifth record for daily COVID-19 deaths in a row on Saturday, as countries around the world rushed to contain the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
The variant has propelled a resurgence of the virus which has already killed nearly 4 million people, forcing numerous nations to reimpose restrictions well over a year after the pandemic first swept the world.
Russia sets deaths record as world battles Delta variant
July 4, 2021
MOSCOW: Russia reported its fifth record for daily Covid-19 deaths in a row on Saturday, as countries around the world rush to contain the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
The variant has propelled a resurgence of the virus which has already killed nearly four million people, forcing numerous nations to reimpose restrictions well over a year after the pandemic first swept the world.
Indonesia imposed a partial lockdown on Saturday, a day after reporting more than 25,000 cases and 539 deaths, both new daily records. Mosques, restaurants and shopping malls were shuttered in the capital Jakarta, across the main island of Java and on Bali after the country’s daily caseload quadrupled in less than a month.
The previous highest, 679, was recorded on Friday.
Russia’s state coronavirus task force on Saturday reported 24,439 new cases the highest daily tally since January and 1,200 more than the day before. Moscow, its outlying region and St Petersburg accounted for nearly half of Saturday’s new cases.
Officials blame the surge on the highly infectious Delta variant and tepid demand for vaccinations.
The Kremlin insisted on Friday that the authorities are not discussing another lockdown. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that the situation with the coronavirus remains “tense” in a number of regions, but said “no one wants any lockdowns”.
Moscow, the worst-hit region throughout Russia’s pandemic, reported 7,446 cases on Saturday, while St Petersburg – which hosted a Euro 2020 quarter-final between Spain and Switzerland on Friday night – reported 1,733 cases and 110 deaths. Pictures from the city’s fan zones showed many people without the mandatory covering o
Russia reported 697 COVID-related deaths on Saturday, the largest number of confirmed cases in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.
On Saturday, Russia’s coronavirus death toll hit a record high for the fifth consecutive day. As the country faces a rapid increase in infections, the authorities reported 697 deaths.
The last record on Friday was 679.
The Russian National Coronavirus Task Force reported 24,439 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the highest daily record since January and 1,200 more than the previous day. Moscow and its surrounding areas and St. Petersburg accounted for nearly half of the new cases on Saturday.
Officials attribute the surge to infectious delta variants and tepid demand for vaccines.