Russia posted a new daily record for deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, with the total number of cases during the pandemic exceeding nine million.
The daily increase in deaths and infections that began in mid-September apparently reached a plateau during the week, but the national commission that deals with the coronavirus reported Saturday that 1,241 people died during the course of the day, two more than the record number of the Wednesday.
The commission indicated that 39,256 new infections were registered, bringing the country’s total to 9.03 million.
Russia decreed a “non-working week” in early November, with the closure of many businesses, to try to contain the wave.
Authorities want two bills on new restrictions that were tabled in parliament on Friday to go into effect next year.
The measures would limit access to many public places, in addition to both domestic and international trains and flights, to fully vaccinated people, who have recovered from COVID-19 or are exempted from vaccination for medical reasons.
The rise in infections and deaths occurs when vaccination rates remain low, the public shows little tendency to take precautions, and the government is reluctant to tighten restrictions.
Less than 40% of the 146 million inhabitants of the country are fully immunized despite the fact that Russia approved a locally produced vaccine months before almost all the rest of the world.
The national commission has reported a total of more than 254,000 deaths, by far the highest rate in Europe. Some experts believe that the true figure is higher.
Reports from the statistics agency Rosstat, which include deaths linked to the coronavirus retroactively, reveal a much higher mortality: 462,000 people died of COVID-19 between April 2020 and September this year.
Russian authorities have indicated that the commission only counts deaths whose main cause was COVID-19, taking data from medical services.
Rosstat applies a broader criterion and takes its figures from the civil registry offices, where deaths are certified.
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