Russian daily COVID-19 infections still high

Russia is continuing to struggle with large numbers of COVID hospitalizations despite government proposals to loosen restrictions. The state coronavirus task force registered 165,643 cases and 698 deaths over the past 24 hours. Putin told that the authorities are not planning any lockdowns or other additional restrictions because of the surge.

The government is considering lifting restrictions for those who come into contact with COVID-19 patients. Russia had only one, six-week lockdown in 2020, and in October 2021, many people were ordered to stay off work for about a week. Russia started vaccinating children aged 12-17 only last month with the domestically developed Sputnik M jab, which is the same as Sputnik V but contains a smaller dose. Only about half of Russia's 146-million populations have been vaccinated so far.