Russia hits another daily record of virus cases

The coronavirus task force has reported over 5.7 million confirmed coronavirus cases and a total of 142,253 deaths in the pandemic. Coronavirus deaths in Russia have hit another daily record, with authorities reporting 752 more fatalities amid a continuing surge in infections. 

Russia's coronavirus task force on Saturday reported 25,082 new coronavirus cases. The daily tally of confirmed infections has soared from around 9,000 in early June to over 23,000 in early July. 

Officials have attributed a steady rise in infections and an increase in mortality to the spread of the delta variant. Despite the surge, the Kremlin has said there are no plans to impose another lockdown. Russia had one nationwide lockdown in the spring of 2020 that lasted six weeks, and the government has resisted another one to avoid damaging the economy. 

The coronavirus task force has reported over 5.7 million confirmed coronavirus cases and a total of 142,253 deaths in the pandemic. However, reports by Russia's state statistical service Rosstat that tally coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively reveal much higher numbers.