UPDATE - Russia sees further growth in daily coronavirus cases

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY MOSCOW MAYOR; REVISES DECK, BACKGROUND; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia saw further growth in daily coronavirus cases on Tuesday with 14,185 new cases registered over the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 5.23 million.

The number of active cases rose to its maximum since March 22 as 291,169 people are being treated for the infection.

Meanwhile, recoveries grew by 8,597 since Monday to reach 4.81 million while the number of fatalities increased by 379 to 127,180.

The capital Moscow remains the worst-hit region, making up almost 50% of all active cases, as 127,464 people have tested positive for COVID-19.

Commenting on the situation, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the city has seen "an explosive growth" in coronavirus cases.

"In recent days, we have seen an explosive rise in the incidence of COVID-19 -- about 80% -- and the admission of serious patients to hospitals in Moscow has increased by 70%. So, for such patients, we are opening more hospitals with 4,000 beds," he said.

On Saturday, Sobyanin announced a lockdown until June 19 to stem the spread of the virus. During this period, catering and entertainment venues are not allowed to serve visitors from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and parks are open only for walks.

In Moscow Oblast, closely connected with the capital, Governor Andrey Vorobyov obliged employers and organizations to ban employees or customers from entering the premises without a protective mask. The rule does not apply to those who have been vaccinated.

Although Russia was the first country in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine -- Sputnik V -- it lags behind in the rate of vaccinated people, with slightly over 10% of the population having gotten a shot.

Commenting on the pace of the vaccination in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "it (pace of vaccination) is far from desired."

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 3.81 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 176.34 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The US, India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries.