Russia Posts Record Daily COVID-19 Death Toll For Second Day In A Row

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

(Article text ©2021 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Sept. 29, 2021 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russia-covid-record-deaths/31483846.html)

Russia has reported 857 new coronavirus-related deaths, a single-day record since the pandemic began, as the country continues to see a surge in infections linked to the Delta variant and a lackluster vaccination campaign.

The government’s anti-coronavirus crisis center said on September 29 that 22,430 new COVID-19 cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours.

The daily death toll, the second consecutive day a record was hit, brings Russia’s total deaths from COVID-19 to more than 206,000 — the highest total in Europe.

Russia, the world’s fifth worst-hit country with more than 7 million people infected, has seen cases spike since last month as vaccinations stall.

Polls show Russians are vaccine-skeptic, with a majority not planning to get inoculated.

Just over a quarter of the population had been fully vaccinated as of September 28, according to the Gogov website, which tallies COVID data from the regions.

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