Russia has broken its record for new coronavirus infections for the sixth day in a row as authorities grapple with a second wave that has pushed hospitals to near-capacity.
Russia’s coronavirus information center confirmed 14,231 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday, setting a record for new infections.
This is the first time that Russia has confirmed more than 14,000 infections in a single day.
One-quarter of the new infections are asymptomatic, according to the information center.
Health officials say 90% of Russia’s 176,000 hospital beds for Covid-19 patients are occupied, prompting some hospitals across the country to stop admitting patients with other illnesses.
Russia is the world’s fourth-most affected country with a total of 1,340,409 Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
A total of 239 people have died from Covid-19, a slight decrease from Tuesday’s record of 244 fatalities. Russia’s official death toll stands at 23,205, a figure that the federal statistics agency which publishes monthly data says is at least half the real number of fatalities.
Moscow, the epicenter of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak, confirmed 4,573 cases Wednesday, 1,206 of whom have been hospitalized. Its mayor, who had ordered businesses to switch one-third of their workforces to remote work and reimposed distance learning for some students, has urged residents to take precautions to avoid tighter restrictions.
Around half of Russia’s regions have reinstated various restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread of the infection.
