In Russia, the daily number of deaths from coronavirus for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic exceeded one thousand. Over the past 24 hours, 1,002 deaths from coronavirus have been recorded in the Russian Federation, the operational headquarters for combating coronavirus infection said on Saturday, October 16. Over the past day, 33,208 new infections were also registered in the country, which is also a new peak for the entire time of the pandemic in Russia.
The situation with coronavirus in Russia has been dramatically worsening for several weeks. According to the headquarters, during the entire time of the pandemic in the Russian Federation, 222 315 people died from covid. Official statistics, however, have long been criticized for alleged understating the numbers.
Russian distrust of vaccines
The authorities believe that the main reason for the increase in infections and deaths is the low readiness of Russians to vaccinate: in the country, according to the latest official data, only about 30 percent of the population is fully immunized. For comparison, in Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 65.6 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
In Russia, many are skeptical about vaccines developed in their own country, the dpa agency notes. In the Russian Federation there are already five domestic vaccines against coronavirus, at the same time Western vaccines are not approved for use.
The authorities of the Russian Federation are considering all new ways to persuade citizens to vaccinate, for example, in Moscow they plan to play for apartments. Despite the dire situation with the coronavirus, the government has no plans to tighten restrictive measures yet.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Infected and dead from COVID-19
On May 12, the Russian Federation ranked second in the world in terms of the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection – more of them were detected only in the United States. At the same time, according to official data, mortality from COVID-19 in Russia is low. The mortality rate from a new infection in the country is 7.6 times lower than the world average, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova said on the same day.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Doubts and controversies around the numbers
The Financial Times and The New York Times questioned the official figures, writing that the number of coronavirus victims in Moscow and St. Petersburg could be 70% higher. The Moscow Department of Health has denied reports of the incorrectness of its calculations of mortality from COVID-19. And the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Zakharova, demanded refutation from the newspapers, which they refused to do, insisting that they were right.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
The beginning of Russia’s exit from quarantine
On May 11, President Putin announced that a single period of non-working days, announced 6 weeks ago due to the epidemic, is ending in Russia. A gradual lifting of restrictions related to the coronavirus began – enterprises in industry, agriculture, and energy began to work. However, the governors still have the right to supplement, mitigate or maintain specific quarantine measures at the regional level.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Helping people and businesses
Putin also announced measures to support the population and businesses affected by the lockdown. From June 1, a special loan program to support employment will be launched in the Russian Federation. It was also decided to completely write off taxes (except for VAT) and insurance premiums for the second quarter of this year for small and medium-sized businesses. And self-employed Russians will be refunded the taxes paid last year.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Have you reached a plateau?
Apparently, the reason for the weakening of quarantine measures was the fact that the authorities of the Russian Federation came to the conclusion that the increase in the incidence of coronavirus in the country was stopped. This was announced on May 14 by the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova, noting that the growth rate of new cases remains insignificant for 11 days. However, at the same time she emphasized that one should be very careful when approaching such assessments.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Masks and gloves
In a number of regions of Russia, the so-called “mask mode” was introduced to counter the spread of coronavirus. Since May 12, wearing masks and gloves has become mandatory on public transport in Moscow and the Moscow region. The fine for not wearing a mask in the capital is about 5 thousand rubles.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Antibody testing
On May 15, Moscow began free testing of city residents for the presence of antibodies to COVID-19. According to the mayor of the capital Sobyanin, for testing according to the new method, the Moscow authorities installed automatic blood analyzers to detect antibodies using the ELISA method (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). By the end of May, the total capacity of the city’s ELISA testing system should exceed 200 thousand analyzes per day.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Cancellation of the Victory Parade and postponement of voting on the constitution
The coronavirus pandemic has strongly influenced the political agenda in the Russian Federation. The authorities were forced to cancel the already announced nationwide vote on amendments to the constitution (a new date has not yet been determined), and also to refuse to hold a parade in Moscow on May 9 in honor of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (only the air part took place). The parade is also promised to be held later.
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Coronavirus in Russia: figures, controversy and actions of the authorities
Infected with SARS-CoV-2 Russian politicians
As in the rest of the world, the coronavirus does not spare politicians in Russia either. On May 12, Dmitry Peskov, the presidential press secretary, announced that he was infected and is in the hospital. On April 30, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reported that his test was positive and was hospitalized. And the Minister of Construction Vladimir Yakushev and the Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova have already recovered and resumed their work.
Author: Vladimir Dorokhov
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