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Agence France-Presse

Russia on Friday recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll for a second day running, even as the country’s outbreak epicentre Moscow lifted some restrictions.
A government tally showed 815 Covid-19 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 22,277 new cases.
Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, has since mid-June been hit by a new wave of infections driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The new figures bring Russia’s total fatalities from Covid-19 to 168,864 – the highest toll in Europe.
Delta variant’s global spread raises question: will Covid-19 become more infectious?
This figure, however, only takes into account deaths where the virus was established as the primary cause of death after an autopsy.
Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat said that Russia has seen more than 300,000 fatalities as of the end of June.
Authorities have faced a vaccine-sceptic population, with a poll by the independent Levada Centre this week showing that 55 per cent of Russians do not plan on getting inoculated.


Moscow as well as a host of regions have introduced mandatory vaccination measures to speed up the country’s inoculation drive, and President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly called on Russians to get vaccinated.
“It’s of course not good that the deaths are rising so quickly. I hope that people will get vaccinated faster,” Nikita, a bank worker in Moscow, said.
While Russia has three home-grown vaccines available to the population, it does not distribute any of Western-made jabs.
As of Friday, just over 30 million of Russia’s around 146 million people had been fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid-19 data from the regions.

Moscow on Friday proceeded with easing virus restrictions, mayor Sergei Sobyanin lifting a requirement for employers to keep at least 30 per cent of employees working from home.
Sobyanin said on his website that the pandemic “continues to retreat” and the number of new hospitalisation in the capital has more than halved when compared to mid-June.
Neighbouring Georgia, a former Soviet republic in the Caucasus, meanwhile tightened restrictions this week as new infections surged.
The measures announced on Thursday include the suspension of public transport within Georgian cities and a ban on mass gatherings such as festivals, concerts and sporting events.
The restrictions will be in place from August 14 until September 4.
“The epidemic situation in the country is hard and we expect the new regulations to stabilise the spread of the infection in two weeks,” Georgia’s Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze said on Friday.


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Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus deaths rising fast in Russia amid sluggish vaccination drive

Russia has since mid-June been hit by a new wave of infections driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant. Photo: AFP

(210804) -- MOSCOW, Aug. 4, 2021 (Xinhua) -- A nurse administers the Sputnik-V vaccine against COVID-19 to a woman at a vaccination center in Gostiny Dvor, Moscow, Russia, Aug. 4, 2021. Russia registered 22,589 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours as the Delta variant continues to spread, taking the nationwide tally to 6,356,784, the official monitoring and response center said Wednesday. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

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A worker unloads boxes of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus disease at the Soekarno Hatta Airport in Tangerang, on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia August 1, 2021, in this photo taken by Antara Foto/Fauzan/via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. INDONESIA OUT.

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Customers sit at socially distanced tables outside a restaurant in Singapore. Photo: Bloomberg

epa09269400 A young child flanked by his parents in front of the Rain Vortex waterfall inside the Jewel Changi Airport mall in Singapore, 14 June 2021. The mall was closed on 12 May after a cluster of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were linked to staff working at the airport terminals. The mall staff have since undergone swab tests and nearly 90 percent have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Some precautionary measure such as the purging of the air-conditioned air before opening hours and disinfection of the entire premises are being stepped up. EPA-EFE/WALLACE WOON

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World

Russia & Central Asia

Coronavirus

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The country recorded 815 Covid-19 fatalities and 22,277 new cases over the past 24 hours
As of Friday, just over 30 million of Russia’s around 146 million people had been fully vaccinated



The country recorded 815 Covid-19 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 22,277 new cases.


Coronavirus vaccine

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Russia

Coronavirus deaths rising fast in Russia amid sluggish vaccination drive

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The country recorded 815 Covid-19 fatalities and 22,277 new cases over the past 24 hours As of Friday, just over 30 million of Russia’s around 146 million people had been fully vaccinated

The country recorded 815 Covid-19 fatalities and 22,277 new cases over the past 24 hours

As of Friday, just over 30 million of Russia’s around 146 million people had been fully vaccinated