MOSCOW (AP) – Russia reported on Saturday a new record of infections and deaths from the coronavirus as it approaches a non-working week with which it seeks to stop the significant rebound in the pandemic.
The government working group for the coronavirus confirmed 1,075 deaths and 37,678 new infections in the last 24 hours, its worst daily data since the start of the health crisis.
The daily death rate is around 33% higher than that registered at the end of September, and infections have increased by around 70% in the last month.
Only about a third of the 146 million people in the country have completed the vaccination schedule, frustrating authorities and putting pressure on the health care system.
Faced with the widespread reluctance that vaccines arouse, President Vladimir Putin responded to the worsening situation by ordering a non-working week from October 30 to November 7.
Many regions are imposing additional restrictions including closing gymnasiums, theaters and restaurant canteens, or restricting their use to customers who can display the QR code confirming that they have received both doses of the vaccine.
According to official data, Russia has registered about 8.2 million infections and 229,528 deaths. However, the count includes only deaths directly attributed to the virus; the national statistical agency Rosstat has reported tens of thousands of deaths in which the virus was a contributing factor.
Russia was the first country in the world to authorize a vaccine against COVID-19 with the launch of Sputnik V in August 2020, and it has sufficient doses. But administration of the formula has been slow, in part because of mixed signals from authorities.
In their praise of Sputnik V, and the other three domestically made formulas, state-controlled media often criticized those produced in the West, a message that for many fueled doubts about vaccines in general.
Putin regretted the doubts of the Russians regarding vaccines, noting that “there are only two options for everyone: get sick or get the vaccine.”
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