Russia reported another record number of coronavirus deaths Wednesday as an aggressive fourth wave of the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down amid low vaccination rates.
The government’s coronavirus information center reported 984 fatalities over the past 24 hours — up from the previous record of 973, set Tuesday.
Russia has now recorded new all-time high fatality tallies for 11 of the last 15 days.
The government’s official death toll since the start of the pandemic stands at 219,329 — Europe’s highest — while Russia’s total excess fatality count during the same period is at least 660,000.
The Kremlin, which has eschewed reimposing nationwide lockdowns despite the surging fourth wave, has stepped up its campaign to urge Russians to get vaccinated against the virus. Regional leaders have reintroduced some restrictions, such as vaccine passports for entry into crowded venues and local mandatory vaccination campaigns for workers in certain sectors of the economy.
At least two Russian regions have suspended routine medical procedures as all hospital beds are occupied by coronavirus patients.
Russia reported 28,717 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, close to the all-time high recorded last December. Russia’s total virus caseload is the fifth-highest in the world at 7.8 million.
A mathematical model developed by St. Petersburg State University expert Viktor Zakharov has projected daily infections will set a new record high of 35,800 by mid-November.
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