Moscow, Oct. 31 (BNA) Russia on Saturday reported a record number of new coronavirus infections as authorities hope to stem the rising infection by preventing most people from working next week.
The government’s coronavirus task force reported 40,251 new infections within 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 40,096 infections on Thursday. It said 1,160 people died from the virus over the past day, three less than the record set the previous day.
This brings Russia’s official COVID-19 death toll to 237,380, the largest in Europe by far. The Associated Press (AP) reported that more than 8.47 million infections have been recorded in the country of 146 million during the pandemic.
The task force only counts deaths directly caused by the virus. The state statistics service Rosstat, which counts COVID-19 deaths by broader criteria, released figures Friday that indicate the death toll has risen.
Rosstat counted 44,265 deaths in September that were directly caused by the virus, had a contributing cause or patients believed to have contracted the infection. That would bring Russia’s death toll from the pandemic to around 461,000 as of the end of September, nearly double the number of the task force.
Infections and deaths have risen sharply since mid-September.
To contain the spread of infection, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a shutdown period from October 30 to November 7, when most state agencies and private companies will suspend their operations. He encouraged the hardest-hit regions of Russia to start sooner, and some ordered most residents to stop working earlier this week.
Moscow introduced the measure starting Thursday, closing kindergartens, schools, gyms, entertainment venues and most stores, and restricting restaurants to takeout or delivery. Food stores, pharmacies and businesses that run key infrastructure remain open.
Access to museums, theaters, concert halls and other venues in Russia is restricted to people with digital codes on their phones to prove they have received a vaccination or have recovered from COVID-19, a practice that will continue after November 7. 60 have been ordered to stay at home.
The government hopes that by keeping most people away from offices and public transport, a period of no work will help limit the spread of the virus, but many Russians were quick to use the time for a vacation on the Black Sea, a trip to Egypt or a turkey.
The authorities blamed the high rates of infection and death on the slow pace of vaccinations in Russia. About 51 million Russians – more than a third of the country’s population – had been fully vaccinated as of Saturday.
Russia was the first country in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine in August 2020 and proudly shot Sputnik V to highlight the country’s scientific superiority. But the vaccination campaign has stalled amid widespread public suspicion, which is blamed on conflicting signals from the authorities.
FKN