Russia registers new record number of daily coronavirus deaths

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia on Thursday registered over 800 daily coronavirus fatalities, the highest since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the country's coronavirus emergency task force, 808 people died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 168,049.

Over the same period, the COVID-19 cases went up by 21,932 to reach 6.5 million while recoveries rose by 20,195 to hit 5.82 million, it said in a daily report.

Over half a million people are currently being treated in Russia for the disease, it said.

Meanwhile, the situation in the capital Moscow is rapidly improving with the pace of virus spread slowing down and the number of patients on ventilators decreasing.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.32 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with some 204.8 million cases reported, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.