Russia has broken its daily coronavirus record, confirming nearly 22,000 new infections Friday as the latest restrictions on clubs and restaurants are taking effect later in the day.
The 21,983 new Covid-19 infections bring the total caseload to 1,880,551, the world’s fifth-highest count behind France, Brazil, India and the United States.
A quarter of those who tested positive across all Russian regions did not have symptoms, according to the country’s coronavirus information center.
The daily Covid-19 death toll stood at 411, one day after a record 439 patients died across the country and the third consecutive day where authorities confirmed more than 400 fatalities.
The information center whose daily figures are widely thought to be undercounted places Russia’s total death toll at 32,443, or 13th in the world.
Monthly state statistics that scrutinize death certificates say 55,671 people have died from Covid-19 between April and September, the latest available month.
Regions outside Moscow have reported severe shortages of hospital beds, staff and medicine as Russia's new coronavirus cases and deaths continue to surge.
Starting Friday, Moscow’s clubs, bars and restaurants have been ordered to stop seating customers after 11 p.m. through mid-January 2021 to slow the outbreak. Take-out and delivery services are still allowed for late-night establishments.
The Kremlin, which has resisted a return to unpopular nationwide lockdown measures, has continued to raise hopes of Russians developing herd immunity in the coming months with a domestically made coronavirus vaccine. Two Russian-made vaccines are either preparing for or currently undergoing mass clinical trials to measure their effectiveness and safety.
Russia’s Covid-19 information center said 18,735 people recovered from the virus Friday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,406,903.
