Moscow (AFP)
Russian authorities on Saturday reported 819 deaths linked to Covid-19 in 24 hours, a record for the third consecutive day due to the Delta variant and a sluggish vaccination campaign.
The country, which has been facing an epidemic resurgence since the beginning of the summer, has also recorded 22,144 new cases of coronavirus, according to the daily report provided by the Russian government's crisis center.
This toll brings to 169,683 the number of deaths recorded by the government as being due to the pandemic.
This number is however partial, because it only takes into account autopsied deaths whose primary cause is Covid-19.
Russian statistics agency Rosstat, which has a broader definition, reports more than 300,000 dead at the end of June 2021.
Covid-19: record of deaths in 24 hours in Russia AFP
The epidemic wave caused by the Delta variant is all the more deadly - some 21,000 dead in June alone, according to Rosstat - as the Russians do not rush to get vaccinated, against a background of mistrust of serums developed by Russia, like the Sputnik V.
Barely 30% of the population has received at least one injection, while the campaign began in December 2020. Calls by President Vladimir Putin to be vaccinated have not caused any acceleration either.
A nurse prepares a syringe of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 at a vaccination center in Moscow, July 14, 2021 Natalia KOLESNIKOVA AFP / Archives
Despite this situation, most of the restrictions have been lifted, in particular in Moscow, the epicenter of the epidemic on Russian territory, in order to preserve the economy.
© 2021 AFP