Russia Counts 100-Plus Deaths For 6Th Day In Row

While Russia has been reporting slight drop in daily coronavirus cases over the past weeks, the number of deaths has increased as the country has registered more than 100 deaths from the infection for a sixth day in a row.

According to the figures reported by the country's emergency task force, the virus has claimed the lives of 152 people over the last 24 hours, rising the death toll to 3,541.

Over the same period 8,599 new cases have been registered, compared to 9,434 the day before, taking the country's tally to 344,481.

Meanwhile, the number of successfully treated people has risen by 5,363 since Saturday and totaled 113,299 throughout the pandemic.

Russia continues mass testing for COVID-19 aiming to detect the disease at early stages when it is less contagious. Up to date as many as 8.6 million tests have been carried out in the country, finding 282,000 people suspected to be infected with the virus.

Despite strict measures, which include lockdown of the capital Moscow, ban on the entry of foreigners and stateless people, and the suspension of international air and railway traffic, Russia is the third-worst coronavirus-hit country in terms of number of cases, following the US and Brazil.

Three top Russian officials, including Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, are being treated in hospital for the coronavirus, while three more were earlier discharged with recovery.

The pandemic has claimed more than 342,100 lives in 188 countries and regions since originating in China last December. The US and Europe are currently the world's worst-hit regions.

More than 5.31 million cases have been reported worldwide and 2.11 million people have recovered to date, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University. -