Moscow | Russia recorded, on Wednesday, for the first time, more than 900 deaths due to Covid-19 in 24 hours, an epidemic outbreak exacerbated by the slow vaccination, forcing some regions to introduce health permits.
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During the past 24 hours, Russia recorded 929 deaths from the emerging coronavirus, a new record for this country, according to the latest daily government report.
The authorities also listed 25,133 new cases of people who tested positive for COVID-19, according to the same source.
The government’s tally, which is based on a highly restrictive definition of deaths from COVID-19, has officially reached 212,625, making Russia the deadliest country in Europe.
But the real losses are much heavier. The statistics institute Rosstat, which has a broader definition of epidemic deaths, reported more than 350,000 deaths at the end of July.
The number of deaths and new infections has continued to rise in recent weeks, regularly breaking daily records.
As of Wednesday, 3,589 cases were recorded in the capital, Moscow, and 2,187 in St. Petersburg, the country’s second city.
In order to maintain the fragile economy, the government has not taken strong national measures, such as containment, since the spring of 2020 to stop the spread of the virus.
The Kremlin, which is usually much more centralized and concerned above all with preserving the economy, considers it to be up to the regional authorities to make decisions.
A sign of growing concern, the health passport, which is necessary to go to restaurants or places hosting cultural or sporting events, was reintroduced in October in six regions. Kaliningrad and Chuvashia are scheduled to follow suit during the week.
Since mid-June, Russia has been hard hit by the delta type of virus, which is the most contagious.
The epidemic was reinforced by a grueling vaccination campaign, the refusal of the authorities to take stricter health measures, and a lack of respect for the wearing of masks among the population.
According to figures from the specialized website Gogov, less than 30% of Russians are currently fully vaccinated, while there are many national vaccines.
The population is highly suspicious of the vaccines produced in Russia and repeatedly announced by the Kremlin, in particular Sputnik-V, which was launched even before the completion of clinical trials.
While studies seem to confirm its effectiveness, neither the World Health Organization nor the European Union has yet approved it.