- Amidst a surge in Covid infections, three Russian regions had to suspend administering COVID-19 vaccinations due to a shortage of doses, local officials said
- Authorities have said the jump in Covid cases is due to the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant, coupled with slow progress in the vaccination drive
- Russia reported 21,665 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with more than one-third of the new cases in Moscow
MOSCOW, Russia: – Amidst a surge in Covid infections, three Russian regions had to suspend administering COVID-19 vaccinations due to a shortage of doses, local officials said.
Russia is currently seeing the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases since January.
Authorities have said the jump in Covid cases is due to the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant, coupled with slow progress in the vaccination drive.
Moscow has reported its largest number of Covid deaths during this surge.
Shortages in vaccines have been reported in the Bashkiria and Khabarovsk regions, as well as in the central Udmurtia region.
Meanwhile, Kremlin officials said more vaccination doses will be shipped to these regions within days. Also, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that an additional $347 million has been allocated for caring for COVID-19 patients.
Further, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the Delta variant of Covid is spreading in the city.
“To drastically solve the issues, you need people to get vaccinated or head to lockdowns and shut down everything,” he told state TV.
Beginning in June, Moscow and several other regions made it mandatory for certain categories of workers to be vaccinated. Those working in professions which bring them in close contact with the public are being targeted for vaccinations. This includes hairdressers and taxi drivers, as well as bank tellers and teachers.
To date, 21 million of Russia’s 144 million people have received at least one vaccine dose, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Friday.
Russia reported 21,665 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with more than one-third of the new cases in Moscow.
The government also said 619 people had died of COVID-19-related causes in the past 24 hours, which is the highest number since December 2020.
