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Why Russia is at its worst in the covid-19 pandemic

2021-10-22T18:41:13.215Z


Russia is experiencing its worst moment in the covid-19 pandemic, with a record of deaths and infections, despite having four vaccines.


Russia at worst of pandemic despite Sputnik V 0:57

(CNN) -

Russia was the first country in the world to register a vaccine against covid-19, Sputnik V, and has successfully developed three other inoculants that are available in the country.

Supported by its good results, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, Sputnik V was even exported to some 70 countries, including Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Nicaragua.

  • Moscow orders unvaccinated people over 60 to stay at home for 4 months due to the covid-19 crisis in Russia

However, Russia has just registered its daily record of infections and deaths from covid-19 since the start of the pandemic: 35,416 new cases and 1,011 deaths on Thursday, according to official figures cited by Johns Hopkins University.

The actual number could be even higher, given that these figures have been questioned: Russia's counting method does not include part of the deaths in official statistics, stating that people died "with covid-19" but not "from covid- 19 ", which does not meet WHO recommendations.

A Russian government official in protective gear disinfects Moscow's Belorussky Train Station on October 20, 2021. (Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images)

New subvariants

The highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is predominant in Russia and is expected to continue to be so, especially in localities with complete vaccination rates below 50%.

Furthermore, this variant could continue to adapt or mutate under these circumstances, according to Russian immunologist Nikolay Kryuchkov, quoted by Reuters.

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In this regard, Russia has reported "isolated cases" with a subvariant of the delta variant that is believed to be even more contagious, the lead investigator of the state consumer watchdog, Kamil Khafizov, said on Thursday.

The AY.4.2 subvariant - also found in England - may be around 10% more infectious than the original delta and could eventually replace it, although it is not yet clear whether it is more lethal.

Existing vaccines are effective against this subvariant, Khafizov said.

Overflowing hospitals and strict measures

Meanwhile there are already reports of overflowing hospitals.

"We had 1,854 beds prepared, today there are no more free beds available," said the governor of the Oryol region, Andrey Klychkov, during a live broadcast on Instagram.

While Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said this Tuesday - at a meeting of the working group against covid-19 - that the pressure on health services is seriously increasing.

Doctors treat a covid-19 patient at the Moscow City Clinical Hospital.

In this context, the mayor of Moscow, the capital, imposed a strict confinement in the city for 10 days to try to contain the infections, and ordered all residents over 60 years not vaccinated, as well as unvaccinated people "that suffer from chronic illnesses ", to stay at home for four months.

Why is Russia experiencing its worst moment in the covid-19 pandemic that began in early 2020, when other parts of the world begin to lower their contagion and death rates?

Resistance to vaccination

So far Russia has managed to vaccinate 32.74% of its population with both doses, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The rate is below the average for Europe (54%), North America (50%), South America (47.7%), Asia (40.4%) and even the world (36.8%), of according to data from Our World in Data.

Russia, in fact, reports a high rate of skepticism about vaccines, according to multiple polls.

According to one conducted by Ipsos in May, the country had the lowest rate (41%) in vaccination intent among unvaccinated people in a group of 15 nations, followed by the United States (46%).

"The main reason (for low vaccination) is mistrust in the authorities and the information they release," Denis Volkov, director of the Levada-Center, a non-governmental sociological research and polling organization, told CNN.

Pedestrians wearing masks walk in central Moscow on October 22, 2021. (Credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP via Getty Images)

Volkov considered that "from the beginning contradictory information was broadcast through the main channels: some said that you had to be vaccinated; others, that it was a fictitious disease."

"There were various conspiracy theories in the state media. There was no clear and coherent message from the government from the beginning," he added.

Distrust in the government

Volkov also referred to an early campaign by the Russian government to promote its own vaccines and disparage foreign ones that backfired, instead reinforcing the concerns of many Russians about vaccines in general.

Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy chairman of the State Duma, said on Saturday that "it is time to put it bluntly: the state has lost the information campaign to combat the coronavirus and explain to the people the need for vaccination."

"This is a fact: people do not trust the vaccine," Tolstoy was quoted as saying by state media RIA Novosti.

Can I have sex the same day I get vaccinated?

2:15

For Alexandra Arkhipova, a social anthropologist and researcher at Ranepa University in Moscow, told CNN that the reluctance to get vaccinated reflects the distrust of Russians towards the authorities.

In particular, Russians tend to trust doctors they know personally, rather than state health institutions, he added.

The Kremlin's response

In mid-October, Putin himself stated that it was necessary to "accelerate the rate of vaccination" during a speech in the State Duma.

"You know that the number of infections is growing in many regions and medical specialists are working under difficult conditions. We all know well that vaccination can save us from the virus and from a serious evolution of the disease. It is necessary to accelerate the rate of vaccination." Putin said.

This week, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov conceded that "of course, not all that had to be done to inform and explain the inevitability and importance of vaccination was done."

Then adding that "at the same time, the citizens of our country must adopt a more responsible position and get vaccinated."

Covid-19

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-10-22

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