Moscow reaches worst coronavirus figures since start of pandemic

The summer in Russia has started with some very worrying figures regarding the coronavirus pandemic. In the last 24 hours, 601 deaths have been recorded, making it the highest number so far this year. The capital, Moscow, is also a cause for concern, with the worst figures since the pandemic began. Coronavirus positives have risen by 11-20%. For this reason, Moscow authorities have ordered the vaccination of at least 60% of people working in service sectors.

"In view of the complex epidemiological situation, the Moscow City Health Commissioner has ordered compulsory vaccination of service sector employees," announced Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. According to the City Council, there are between 3.5 and 4 million workers in the capital, so more than 2 million should be vaccinated, which would correspond to the required 60 per cent.

"In the last 24 hours more than 70 people died. Most of them would not even have become ill if they had been vaccinated in time," the mayor said after announcing the vaccination order. However, as the Levada Centre indicated in a survey conducted in May, 62% are unwilling to be vaccinated with Sputnik V, the Russian-developed vaccine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly urged Russian citizens to get vaccinated. "Experts have confirmed 97 per cent efficacy," Putin said. Last May Russia announced Sputnik Light, a new single-dose vaccine that aims to speed up the vaccination process.

Another measure imposed by the authorities affects the hospitality industry. Bars and restaurants can only serve people who present a QR code showing that they have been vaccinated, are immunised or have recently tested negative in a PCR test. In addition, mass events with an attendance of more than 1,000 people are prohibited until 29 June.

The situation in Moscow hospitals is also worrying. As Anastasia Rakova, deputy mayor of the Moscow City Council for Social Development, has warned, "in two to three weeks there will be no more free beds in hospitals". Hospital admissions of people in serious condition have risen by 70 per cent in recent days, which Sobyanin described as an "explosive increase".

St Petersburg, which is hosting the European Championship, has a similar situation to Moscow. Finnish authorities have detected almost 100 cases of coronavirus in Finnish fans attending the Finland-Belgium match. "It is important that everyone returning from Russia gets tested," said Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. The capacity in the Petersburg state was 50 per cent full with 35,000 people. The Baltic city will host another match on 2 July.

Buryatia, an inland area of Russia close to Mongolia, has declared a lockdown following an increase in cases of COVID-19. The region recorded more than 200 infections last week, up from 90 at the beginning of the month, according to the Associated Press. Buryatia is the only Russian region that has ordered several containments since the pandemic began. The rest of the country has had only one collective lockdown, although Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said another nationwide closure is being considered.

In recent days, Russia has reached 5.4 million cases of coronavirus. This makes it the sixth most infected country in the world, after the United States, India, Brazil, France and Turkey. In addition, there is the threat posed by the Delta variant, which is responsible for 90% of the infections in Moscow.