Russia's virus cases spiral past 40,000 for 1st time, deaths hit new record

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – As Russia’s COVID-19 crisis grows graver by the day, the daily caseload surpassed 40,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic and the death toll hit yet another grim all-time high on Thursday.

A total of 40,096 new infections pushed the overall count to 8.39 million, while the fatality count surged by 1,159 to 235,057, latest figures showed.

Some 29,318 people also recovered over the past day, taking the total to 7.27 million.

According to official data, COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates in Russia have been growing for six weeks straight, rising 13.6% in just the past week.

The worsening situation has led to intensified calls from top Russian leaders for vaccination efforts to be ramped up.

At a meeting of Russia’s National Medical Chamber, President Vladimir Putin said doctors must explain to people the critical importance of vaccinations.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin echoed Putin’s views, saying immunization remains the best way to ward off the virus.

“It is imperative to tell people why vaccines are necessary, that vaccination is the most reliable weapon against infections, and can stop the growing morbidity (rate),” he said.

Apart from vaccines, several medicines for COVID-19 are also being developed in Russia, Mishustin added.

Russia has entered a 10-day non-working period from Thursday as part of efforts to curb infections, which regional authorities can extend and supplement with additional measures if necessary.