Russia on Tuesday recorded 737 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, a new pandemic record and a 13% increase from the previous record of 697 set on Saturday as the country continues to battle a surge fueled by the more-contagious Delta variant.
Moscow, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic within Russia, recorded 114 deaths, slightly less than its record set last week.
Russia set new coronavirus death records for five days straight last week as the surge in infections overwhelmed hospitals and health care systems.
The country's Covid-19 task force has confirmed 139,316 coronavirus deaths overall, a number that many say is inaccurate as Russia only counts deaths where Covid-19 is the sole cause of death toward its toll. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 475,000.
Despite the surging cases, the Kremlin has ruled out the possibility of another nationwide lockdown, leaving regional leaders to take targeted measures like banning mass events and restricting restaurant and bar access.
Several Russian regions including Moscow have ordered compulsory vaccination for service workers in recent weeks in addition to restricting certain services for unvaccinated people.
Still, less than 18% of Russia’s population of 146 million people has received at least one vaccine dose so far, according to the independent Gogov.ru monitor.
Last week, Moscow began offering revaccination for those who were vaccinated over six months ago to increase their protection from the virus.
