Virus deaths in Russia cross 11,000, cases top 710,000

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Coronavirus-related fatalities in Russia have passed 11,000 and the number of cases is now above 710,000, authorities said on Friday.

The death toll rose by 174 over the past 24 hours to reach 11,017, while 6,635 more infections raised the overall case count to 713,936, the country’s emergency task force said in a daily report.

Russia has registered 6,000-plus cases every day for more than two weeks now.

A total of 7,752 patients recovered across the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 489,068, the report said.

Meanwhile, clinical trials of several COVID-19 vaccines have entered their final stages, with a first group of volunteers expected to finish one of the trials on July 15.

Russia continues widespread testing to identify new cases and detect how many people have developed antibodies after being exposed to the virus.

As of July 10, over 22.3 million tests have been conducted in the country of over 145 million people.

Melita Vujnovic, the World Health Organization’s representative in Russia, hailed the country’s COVID-19 response in a video news conference on Friday.

She told reporters that Russia “has done absolutely everything possible to have the resources and capacity to treat all people.”

Russia has seen two epidemiological processes, the first being in Moscow and the second in the country’s other regions.

Moscow, which faced the virus outbreak first, has passed its viral peak, while the rest of Russia has yet to.

In June, most lockdown measures were eased throughout the country, including the capital Moscow.

Starting July 13, people in Moscow will not be required to wear masks and gloves while out on the streets, although their use remains mandatory in other public places.

The Federal Air Transport Agency has extended the ban on international flights until Aug. 1.

However, media reports suggest the authority is being urged to resume air traffic with nine European countries – the UK, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Finland – as well as China, Vietnam, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka.

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 555,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since emerging in China last December.

Almost 12.3 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the US, Brazil, India, and Russia currently the worst-hit countries, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than half of all patients worldwide – over 6.76 million – have recovered so far.