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MOSCOW – Russia posted record numbers of daily coronavirus infections and deaths on Thursday as the country avoids re-imposing a nationwide lockdown.
Health officials reported 29,935 new infections, bringing the country’s number of cases to 2,963,688, the fourth highest in the world.
They also recorded 635 deaths, increasing the total deaths to 53,096 since the start of the pandemic.
Russia’s death rate is much lower than that of other severely affected countries, raising concerns that authorities could be downplaying the scale of the outbreak.
Data released by the country’s statistics service earlier this month indicated an excess of deaths of nearly 165,000 year-on-year between March and October, suggesting that deaths from viruses could be much higher.
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Authorities also recorded a record number of new infections on Wednesday in the capital Moscow, the epicenter of the Russian outbreak.
The searches came after officials said Russia does not need to reintroduce a nationwide lockdown like the one that occurred at the start of the pandemic in the spring.
During his annual year-end press conference last week, President Vladimir Putin rejected the idea of imposing the kind of blockade that many European countries have introduced before the Christmas holidays.
“If we follow the rules and demands of the health regulators, then we don’t need any blockade,” Putin said.
Although strict restrictions have been imposed in some major cities, authorities in many regions have limited measures to mandate the use of masks in public spaces and reduce mass concentrations.
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However, many Russians disobey rules on mask use and social distancing, and in recent weeks the outbreak has overwhelmed underfunded hospitals in the regions.
Rather than a blockade, Russia has pinned its hopes on its homemade vaccine, Sputnik V, named after the Soviet-era satellite.
The capital has launched a mass vaccination campaign starting with those in high-risk groups, including teachers, health workers and transportation.
But the Russians have so far been slow to get the hit.
Last week, health officials said more than 12,000 people had been vaccinated since the beginning of December in Moscow, a city of about 12 million people.
According to a poll by state pollster VTsIOM released Wednesday, only 38 percent of Russians plan to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
