Coronavirus deaths in Russia are still near the highest levels of all time

MOSCOW The death toll from coronavirus in Russia was still close to all-time highs on Monday, but the number of new infections continued to fall.

The State Coronavirus Working Group reported 1,241 deaths from COVID-19, down from the 1,254 pandemic record set last week.

The panel also reported 35,681 new confirmed cases, reflecting a steady downward trend since early November, when daily numbers exceeded 41,000, the highest level since the pandemic began.

The rise in deaths comes amid low vaccination rates and a loose public outcry in Russia. About 40% of the nearly 146 million people in Russia have been fully vaccinated, even though the country approved a domestically developed COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine months before most of the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday he received a boost shot of Sputnik Light, a spring-loaded version of Sputnik V. Putin said he was feeling well and had no side effects.

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The Kremlin has delegated the power to impose restrictions on regional authorities depending on the local situation, and many provinces across Russia have stricter restrictions, allowing access to public places only to those who are immunized or HIV-negative.

Kazan, the central city of the Russian province of Tatarstan, became the first in Russia on Monday to demand QR codes proving vaccination, previous illness or a negative coronavirus test on public transport.

About 500 people did not have access to public transportation in the city of 1.2 million and a collision between a passenger and inspectors led to a brief suspension of services on one of the city’s tram lines.

Russia’s cabinet has introduced new legislation restricting access to many public spaces, as well as domestic and international trains and flights, to those who have been fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 or are medically vaccinated. The legislation, which is due to take effect early next year, has already sparked protests across the country.

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In all, the Russian Coronavirus Working Group has reported more than 9.3 million confirmed infections and 265,336 deaths from COVID-19, by far the highest death toll in Europe.

Some experts believe that the actual number is even higher. Reports from the Russian statistical office, Rosstat, that the calculation of coronavirus-related deaths reveals retrospectively much higher mortality. An estimated 462,000 people with COVID-19 died between April 2020 and September this year.

Russian officials said the working group only included deaths for which COVID-19 was the main cause and used data from medical facilities. Rosstat uses broader criteria for counting virus-related deaths and takes its numbers from the registry where the death record is finalized.

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