Russia registers record high COVID-19 cases, deaths
Coronavirus in Russia
Russia recorded over 20,000 coronavirus cases on Thursday which is the highest since January as the country continued to grapple with the virus amid low vaccination.
Moscow which has been the epicentre of the virus registered 8,598 cases and 92 fatalities in 24 hours which authorities said was the highest death toll recorded in the city. Russia's St. Petersburg also recorded the highest ever toll with 99 deaths.
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Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin had earlier said the Delta strain was the most dominant in the city with 90 per cent cases reported. Sobyanin declared that from June 28 those who enter restaurants would have to show proof of vaccination or provide a negative PCR test.
The Russian capital has extended COVID-19 restrictions till June 29 with several outdoor venues closed and restaurants ordered to shut by 11 pm.
In a similar move as Moscow, health authorities declared that people visiting hotels in the Krasnodar region to get negative PCR tests while stating that from August 1 the region will ban entry to resorts for unvaccinated vacationers.
According to the health ministry,130,000 citizens have been hospitalised with several thousand under supervision although there are enough hospital beds with just 15 per cent reportedly unoccupied.
Leningrad authorities have ordered mandatory vaccination for service workers.
Buryatia in Siberia has announced a lockdown amid the surge in coronavirus cases with businesses ordered to shut from June 27 to July 11. The country has been slow in its vaccination drive despite the presence of the Sputnik V vaccine which was approved by authorities in August last year.
Russia has vaccinated just 20.7 million citizens so far with one dose out of a population of 146 million.
The country has recorded 131,463 coronavirus deaths with over 5.3 million COVID-19 cases.
(With inputs from Agencies)