Russia tops 3 million coronavirus cases amid Sputnik V vaccination drive

As Russia administers the Sputnik V vaccine to its citizens on a mass scale, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country crossed 3 million on Saturday.

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According to authorities, the country now has 3,021,964 cases with 54,226 fatalities with 29,258 new infections and 567 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

The country also recorded the highest number of cases in capital Moscow which was earlier the epicentre of the virus, however, authorities had denied there would be a lockdown.

President Putin had earlier said: "If we follow the rules and demands of health regulators, then we do not need any lockdowns."

Putin had asserted thatRussia had handled the crisis better than other nations declaring, "of course, no healthcare system in the world was ready for what we faced, Russia system turned out to be more effective" than others."

As the number of cases has surged in the capital, authorities in Moscow launched a mass vaccination drive starting with high-risk groups including teachers, health and transport workers.

However, the pace of vaccination has been slow amid a surging number of cases. This week Russia recorded a record jump in COVID-19 cases with 493 new virus deaths and 29,350 cases.

Moscow and Saint Petersburg have been the hardest hit due to the virus recording 7,797 and 3,752 new cases as the country battles a second wave. The large number of cases has worried health workers with hospital beds as the country struggles to contain the virus.

Authorities in Saint Petersburg have said less than 4 per cent of hospital beds are available in the city.