In the last 24 hours, 1,002 people have died due to Kovid-19. The previous record was recorded on Friday with 999 Covid-related deaths in a 24-hour period.
The country also recorded a new all-time record of daily coronavirus cases for the third day in a row. On Saturday, officials reported that 33,208 new cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in the past.
Despite the record numbers, lawmakers continue to reject the introduction of a nationwide lockdown. Russian Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko said the move was unfair.
According to state news agency TASS, Matvienko reportedly said, “The situation is not easy. But there is no basis for starting a federal lockdown.”
“You know that the number of infections is increasing in many areas and medical experts are working in difficult conditions. We all know very well that vaccination can protect us from the virus and from the severe course of the disease. The speed of vaccination ,” Putin said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that not getting vaccinated against Covid-19 is “really irresponsible.” But till the time doctors deal with the influx of patients with Covid-19, emergency measures will not be taken, he said.
According to TASS, Peskov also said on Thursday that Putin would get a booster shot when doctors deem it necessary.
“Everything will depend on the recommendations of experts. The president is very attentive to this. It will be done as soon as the experts understand the need for a re-evaluation,” Peskov said in response to a question.
Russia’s official death toll due to Covid-19 now stands at 222,315, the highest in Europe since the start of the pandemic. The actual number is believed to be much higher though due to the way Russia classifies coronavirus deaths.
The total number of identified Covid-19 cases in Russia has risen to 7,958,384 since the start of the pandemic.
Data from Russia’s coronavirus taskforce, released on Saturday, shows that around 45% of the population may have immunity to Covid-19 through vaccination or infection.
Some regions in Russia are imposing some restrictions at the local level due to the rise in Covid-19 infections. Many regions have introduced QR codes that allow only vaccinated people and recovered patients to go to restaurants and public events.
According to the state media outlet RIA Novosti, on October 4 the head of the Rospotrebnadzor Health Watchdog, Anna Popova, has banned events with more than 3,000 participants throughout the country in connection with the pandemic. For some regions, restrictions are tougher depending on the severity of the coronavirus situation.
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