The number of daily coronavirus infections in Russia has exceeded 10,000, a first since March against the backdrop of a sluggish vaccination campaign, according to statistics released on Monday.
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In total, 10,407 cases have been identified across the country, including 4,124 in Moscow, a record for the Russian capital since January and the end of a second deadly wave of the Covid-19 epidemic. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin noted that the situation was worsening in the capital, the main Russian epidemic focus since the start of the health crisis. The city will reopen "
in the days to come
" dedicated field hospitals to accommodate these patients, he added. "
Unfortunately the situation remains difficult, we see the disease flare up day by day
," said Segueï Sobianine, during a meeting with restaurant owners broadcast on television. However, he assured that he “did not
intend to order confinement
”.
The town hall, on the other hand, announced to reinforce the controls to impose the wearing of the mask in public places, in particular transport, while very many Muscovites have not respected this obligation for months. Saint Petersburg, the second city in the country which will host four Euro football matches from June 12, has also admitted to being faced with a growth in the number of infections.
On the vaccination front, President Vladimir Putin himself has stepped up to the plate several times in recent days and weeks to convince the Russians to go get vaccinated as soon as possible, with the ambition of achieving immunity collective in the fall of 2021 in order to avoid a new epidemic wave.
But according to a survey by the Levada Institute in April, 62% of those questioned are not ready to be administered Sputnik V, developed by Moscow and at the heart of the state's immunization and communication policy. .
Sharply rising mortality
To date and since December, barely 18 million Russians, or about 12% of the population, have received at least one dose, according to the census carried out by the Gogov site, which aggregates data from regions and media for lack of national statistics official.
Read also: In Russia, the Covid-19 disaster masked by official figures
Russia is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic.
According to the statistics agency Rosstat, more than 270,000 deaths were linked to him at the end of April, more than double the toll of 124,895 deaths recognized to date by the government in its daily accounts.
Demographic data also show a very sharp increase in mortality in January-April 2021 compared to the same period of 2020, with 752,000 deaths recorded against around 611,000 a year earlier.
In 2020, the growth in the number of deaths had already reached 18% with 2.1 million deaths against 1.8 million in 2019. The authorities have not detailed the causes of this surge in mortality than the statistics concerning the Covid explain only partially. After the spring 2020 containment, Russia, to preserve its economy, put in place very limited anti-Covid restrictions, most of which were lifted in early 2021. The main measure remaining in force is the wearing of masks in shops and transport. If the anti-Covid measures block the organization of demonstrations by the opposition, large gatherings with the consent of the Kremlin have been able to take place. Fan zones will be set up in particular for the Euro football (June 11-July 11).
