Covid-19 deaths hit record high in Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria as vaccination efforts lag
- More than a third of deaths in Europe are in Russia, which reported 1,123 deaths Wednesday
- Only 16 per cent of Ukraine’s population is fully vaccinated, 25 per cent in Bulgaria
The daily number of Covid-19 deaths in Russia hit another high on Wednesday amid a surge in infections that has forced the Kremlin to order most Russians to stay off work starting this week.
Sluggish vaccination rates have allowed the virus to spread quickly across Eastern Europe. Ukraine and Bulgaria also reported record daily death tolls on Tuesday.
Russia’s national coronavirus task force on Wednesday reported 1,123 deaths in 24 hours, the most since the start of the pandemic. The number brought the country’s official pandemic death toll to 233,898, Europe’s highest by far. It recorded 1,106 deaths on Tuesday.
Russia registered 36,582 new cases, including 5,789 in Moscow.
With winter coming in the Northern Hemisphere, the pandemic isn’t going anywhere, belying hopes that vaccines would provide a speedy path out of the crisis.
And while the shots have proven to be effective in reducing severe illness and death, they don’t always stop infection or transmission and their potency diminishes over time, making the picture in some ways more complicated than it was a year ago.
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During that time, most state organisations and private businesses are to suspend operations, and most stores will close along with kindergartens, schools, gyms and most entertainment venues. Restaurants and cafes will only be open for takeaway or delivery. Food stores, pharmacies and businesses operating key infrastructure can stay open.
Access to museums, theatres, concert halls and other venues will be limited to people holding digital codes on their smartphones to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19, a practice that will remain in place after November 7.
The new restrictions have encouraged more people to get shots.
The Russian leader encouraged the worst-affected regions to start the off-work time earlier and possibly extend it beyond November 7. Six of Russia’s 85 regions began the idle period on Monday, and more joined them Tuesday. Moscow is to suspend work for most people on Thursday.
The government has blamed the quick spread of the virus and soaring deaths on low vaccination rates. Only about 49 million Russians – about a third of the country’s nearly 146 million people – are fully vaccinated.
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In neighbouring Ukraine, the vaccine uptake has been even slower. About 16 per cent of the country’s 41 million people have been fully vaccinated. Confirmed cases and deaths have increased over the past week, and the Ukrainian Health Ministry on Tuesday reported a record 734 deaths in 24 hours.
Bulgaria, the European Union’s least-vaccinated nation with about 25 per cent of the adult population fully inoculated, reported 5,863 new confirmed cases and 243 deaths Tuesday, both national daily records. Medical personnel are concerned the latest wave of infections may overwhelm the country’s ailing health care system.
In Romania, hospitals are stretched to breaking point, with emergency beds fully occupied across the country. Morgues were also running at full capacity. The country reported record numbers of daily coronavirus fatalities and infections last Tuesday. The virus was killing one person every five minutes on average this month in a country where the inoculation rate is low.
In the Baltics, which border Russia, authorities in Estonia are considering new coronavirus restrictions on top of the ones that took effect a day ago. Still, Estonia is seeking to avoid a general lockdown like the one neighbouring Latvia has imposed to counter the rapid spread of the virus. Latvia’s lockdown, which started October 21 and runs until November 15, includes a nationwide curfew, closes most stores and suspends entertainment, sports and cultural events.
Additional reporting by Reuters and Bloomberg
