Russia sets another daily COVID-19 deaths record

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has reported another record of daily coronavirus deaths amid a slow vaccination rate and authorities’ reluctance to tighten restrictions. The government coronavirus task force on Wednesday registered 984 coronavirus deaths in a new high. The country has repeatedly had record daily death tolls in the past few weeks as infections soared to near all-time highs. The Kremlin has attributed the mounting contagion and deaths to a laggard vaccination rate. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Tuesday that about 29% of the country’s nearly 146 million people were fully vaccinated. Experts have attributed the slow pace of vaccination to widespread vaccine skepticism and disinformation about vaccines.