Russia's COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 40,000

Coronavirus fatalities in Russia are now over 40,000, authorities said on Tuesday.

A total of 569 more deaths – a new high since the start of the pandemic – pushed the toll up to 40,464, the country's emergency task force said in a daily report.

Infections went up by 26,402 over the past day, bringing the overall count to over 2.32 million, while recoveries increased by 24,763 to move past 1.8 million.

Active COVID-19 cases in Russia currently stand at 478,125, with almost half of them registered in urban hubs, including the capital Moscow and the second-largest city of Saint Petersburg.

Russia's caseload remains the fourth highest in the world, behind the US, India, and Brazil.

Authorities have been taking steps to curb the rapidly rising infections, with many regions in the country having extended quarantine measures until the end of January. -