Russia passed Tuesday the milestone of 5000 deaths attributed to the coronavirus, according to the latest official figures, and new infections remain more than 8000 daily cases.
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In the past 24 hours, 182 people have died from Covid19 in Russia, bringing the total to 5037 dead. The number of new cases increased by 8,863 to 423,741. Russia remains the third country with the most reported infections in the world, behind Brazil and the United States.
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The number of new infections has nevertheless followed a slow decline for two weeks, in particular in Moscow, the epicenter of the epidemic in Russia, with more than half of the deaths recorded. In total, the Russian authorities indicate having carried out 11.1 million tests at the Covid.
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They also explain the low mortality rate compared to Western Europe by measures taken very early, a policy of mass screening of the population and rapid restructuring of the hospital system. The government has also said that it only counts deaths whose primary cause is Covid, 19 while elsewhere almost all of the deaths of people positive for the new coronavirus are taken into account.
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Critics have, however, questioned the sincerity of the official figures. Relying on a timid improvement in the situation, the Russian capital reopened Monday its parks and shops closed for two months. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that a referendum will be held on July 1 to adopt the constitutional reform, which will notably give him the right to hold two additional terms from 2024. This vote was postponed because of the epidemic.