Covid: For the first time, Russia’s daily death toll surpasses 1,000

For the first time since the pandemic began, Russia recorded 1,000 Covid-related deaths in a single day on Saturday.

The figure had been growing for the past week, with the Kremlin blaming the Russian people for not vaccinating themselves. Only around a third of the population has had a vaccination, owing to widespread mistrust of vaccines.

With another 33,000 infections registered on Saturday, Russia has the highest number of Covid deaths in Europe. The administration has resisted enacting strong laws because it believes it needs to keep the economy humming.

Instead, the Kremlin has focused on popular apathy against immunisation. “In a situation where illnesses are spreading, it is vital to continue to communicate with people that they must get vaccinated,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week.

The administration claims that the health-care system is not overburdened and that it can handle the growing number of patients.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, on the other hand, advised doctors who had quit practising due to COVID worries to be vaccinated and return to work.

In Russia, the number of active cases of infected people is over 750,000, which is also the highest since records began in February 2020. Since the pandemic began, more than 8 million people have been infected. The results for single and complete vaccination are startlingly similar, with both coming in at just under a third of the population.

This indicates that a significant proportion of people do not want to be vaccinated. According to recent opinion polls, that proportion could be higher than 50%.

Russia has moved quickly to produce vaccinations. Its Sputnik V satellite was launched promptly last year, and three more have been approved. However, it does not appear to have persuaded many people at home that they are either necessary or reliable.

Sputnik V has done better in terms of global sales. However, while the vaccine was immediately made accessible to other countries, it ran into delivery challenges, with several countries unable to receive their doses on time.