Russia hits new high of daily COVID-19 deaths

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The daily coronavirus death toll in Russia hit a record high on Tuesday, with 1,015 people died in the last 24 hours, raising the overall count to 225,325.

Over the same period, new cases increased by 33,740 to reach 8.06 million, while recoveries went up by 23,426 to a total of 7.04 million, Russia’s coronavirus emergency task force said in its daily report.

Speaking to TV channel Rossiya 24 last week, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who also heads the task force, said the mortality rate has risen in the country in recent months.

She stressed that vaccination remains the principal means of protection against COVID-19.

Russian authorities link the rising number of COVID-19 deaths to the country’s low vaccination rate, with only 43 million people, or 30.71%, fully vaccinated – less than half the figure needed for herd immunity.

Another risk is the onset of cold temperatures and the accompanying flu-like illnesses.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 4.9 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with over 241.1 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.