Russia is currently reporting a record-high number of coronavirus infections and deaths as the country approaches a week of nonworking days aimed at stemming the large surge in cases.
According to the national coronavirus task force on Saturday, 1,075 people have died from the virus in one day with 37,678 new infections being tallied- the largest single-day numbers of deaths and infections of the pandemic.
This death toll is about 33% higher than that recorded in late September, with infections rising about 70% in the past month.
About one-third of Russia’s 146 million population has been vaccinated, frustrating officials and placing a strain on the country’s healthcare system.
With widespread resistance to vaccination from the people, President Vladimir Putin has responded to the increasingly worsening situation by ordering Russians to stay away from work between Oct. 30 and Nov. 7.
Many regions are imposing restrictions in addition, including gym closures, theaters, and sit-down service at restaurants being reduced or eliminated without proof of vaccination.
Overall, Russia has recorded about 8.2 million vases of coronavirus infection and 229,528 deaths, according to the task force. That toll however only counts deaths directly attributed to the virus; the national statistics service Rosstat has reported tens of thousands of deaths in addition in which the virus was considered a contributing factor.
Despite being the first country in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine, launching Sputnik V in August 2020, and having plentiful supplies, the uptake has been slow with many blaming conflicting signals from authorities.
State-media extolled Sputnik V and three other domestic vaccines, but often criticized Western shots, a message many saw as feeding doubt about vaccine hesitancy in general.
Putin has deplored Russians’ vaccine hesitancy but maintained that they should remain voluntary in response to being asked if he would make vaccines mandatory.
