Russia recorded 697 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, the most verified in a single day since the epidemic began and the fifth day in a row.
The government’s coronavirus taskforce identified 24,439 new cases across the country, the largest since January. Officials attribute the spike to the infectious Delta strain and low vaccine demand.
7,446 new cases were reported on Saturday in Moscow, the worst-affected location throughout Russia’s pandemic. However, the mayor informed citizens that vaccination rates were improving and that over 2.7 million individuals had received at least one vaccine shot.
Officials enforced a variety of measures to require or encourage people to get vaccinated, fearful of a new wave of infections that began last month.
In Russia, COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, yet polls reveal that many people do not wish to have them.
Officials in Moscow have forbidden people from coming to cafés, pubs, and restaurants unless they have confirmation of vaccination, immunity, or a negative test, which they haven’t received since last summer.
Next week, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin hopes that the number of those who have received a first dose will exceed 3 million. He estimated that 60-70,000 people were immunized every day.
