Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 28

Jan. 28: What you need to know today

• Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections for the eighth day running. A total of 98,040 new infections and 673 deaths were recorded over the last 24 hours. Case numbers have doubled in the span of a week.
• Moscow does not plan to introduce new lockdown measures in response to the Omicron variant, the RBC news website reported, citing two sources close to the Mayor’s Office.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday it was “clear that the real number of people who have Covid-19 is slightly higher than the official statistics.”
• The number of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital in the capital jumped 22% on Thursday and is now running close to peaks recorded during the two previous waves of the virus in 2021.

Jan. 27

— Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections for the seventh day running. A total of 88,816 new infections and 665 deaths were recorded over the last 24 hours. Case numbers have doubled in the span of a week.

Jan. 26

— Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections for the sixth day running. A total of 74,692 new infections and 657 deaths were recorded over the last 24 hours.

— Children in St. Petersburg will be barred from sporting, cultural and entertainment establishments from Jan. 28-Feb. 13, city authorities announced.

— Russia has cut the quarantine period for people infected with Covid-19 from 14 to seven days, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced Tuesday.

Jan. 25

— Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections for the fifth day running. A total of 67,809 new infections and 681 deaths were recorded over the last 24 hours.

— Around 70% of people infected with the Omicron variant in Russia are unvaccinated, said Anna Popova, the head of Russia’s consumer health watchdog, in a televised meeting.

— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the capital was likely to see growing coronavirus cases for at least two more weeks, as the Omicron variant fuels a record rise in infections. 

Jan. 24

— Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections for the fourth day running. A total of 65,109 new infections and 655 deaths were recorded.

Jan. 23

— Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections for the third day running. A total of 63,205 new infections were recorded over the last 24 hours and 679 deaths.

Jan. 22

— Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections as the Omicron variant continued its rapid spread across the country. A total of 57,212 new infections were recorded over the last 24 hours and 681 deaths.

Jan. 21

— Amid rising cases, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on extended a requirement for businesses in the capital to ensure 30% of their employers were working from home.

— Russia plans to cut the isolation period from 14 to seven days for those infected with Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said.

— Russian lawmakers have agreed to withdraw from consideration an unpopular bill for QR-code health passes to enter public spaces, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said.

Jan. 19

— Russia reported 33,899 new Covid-19 infections and 698 deaths.

— Cases in Russia’s second city of St. Petersburg set a new record high Wednesday with 4,382 new confirmed cases. In Moscow, where Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Omicron has become the dominant strain, new infections set their third-highest daily toll since the start of the pandemic on Wednesday of 8,795.

Jan. 18

— Russia reported 31,252 new Covid-19 infections and 688 deaths.

Jan. 17

— Russia reported 30,726 new Covid-19 infections and 670 deaths.

— The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still awaiting additional documentation on Sputnik V before it can proceed with the vaccine approval process, the EU’s Ambassador to Moscow said Monday. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Russia said Sunday the vaccine’s developers had submitted all the required information needed for its approval process, and further inspections will take place in February, though other WHO officials later appeared to contradict this, saying they were still waiting for a full data package from Russia.

Jan. 16

— Russia reported 29,230 new Covid-19 infections and 686 deaths.

Jan. 15

— Russia reported 27,179 new Covid-19 infections and 723 deaths.

Jan. 14

— Russia reported 23,820 new Covid-19 cases and 739 deaths

— Russia will delay controversial legislation over the use of coronavirus health passes for access to public spaces, officials said Friday, citing “new challenges” presented by the Omicron variant.

— Foreigners will be able to obtain a coronavirus health pass — QR code — in Russia by taking an antibody test, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said Friday. The passes will be valid for six months.

— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Friday that Omicron had become the dominant coronavirus strain in the Russian capital, accounting for more than half of all new infections.

Jan. 13

— Russia reported 21,155 new Covid-19 infections — a 17.8% increase overnight — and 740 deaths.

Jan. 12

— Russia reported 17,946 new Covid-19 infections and 745 deaths.

— Russia has so far confirmed 698 official cases of the Omicron variant, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova announced at a meeting on Wednesday.

— President Vladimir Putin said health authorities only have “a couple of weeks” to prepare for the next wave of the pandemic.

— Russia delivered fewer than 80 million doses of its Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines to other countries in 2021, according to Unicef data cited by The Washington Post. The jab’s developers had initially planned to export doses for more than 500 million people, but have been beset by production and delivery delays. The vaccine has also yet to be approved by either the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Jan. 11

— Russia reported 17,525 new Covid-19 infections and 783 deaths.

— The presence of the Omicron variant in the Russian capital is already “significant,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. He warned that the city would see a major increase in infections within 7-10 days, adding that “it is quite possible that we will face a worse situation than in previous waves.”

— Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the military to limit vacations and trips abroad for servicemen and women due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

— Russia will be “covered” by the Omicron variant and should brace for a “very high” number of Covid-19 cases, Alexander Gintsburg, the head of the state-run Gamaleya Institute which developed the country’s Sputnik V vaccine, said.

Jan. 10

— Russia confirmed 15,830 Covid-19 infections and 741 deaths.

Jan. 9

— Russia confirmed 16,246 Covid-19 infections and 763 deaths.

Jan. 8

— Russia confirmed 16,568 Covid-19 infections and 796 deaths.

Jan. 7

— Russia confirmed 16,735 Covid-19 infections and 787 deaths.

Jan. 6

— Russia confirmed 15,316 Covid-19 infections and 802 deaths.

Jan.5

— Russia confirmed 15,772 Covid-19 infections and 828 deaths.

Jan. 4

— Russia confirmed 15,903 Covid-19 infections and 834 deaths.

Jan. 3

— Russia confirmed 16,343 Covid-19 infections and 835 deaths.

Jan. 2

— Russia confirmed 18,233 Covid-19 infections and 811 deaths.

Jan. 1

— Russia confirmed 19,751 Covid-19 infections and 847 deaths.

Dec. 31

— Russia confirmed 20,638 Covid-19 infections and 912 deaths.

— Russia recorded more than 115,000 excess deaths during November 2021, according to official statistics published Thursday — a new record high since the start of the pandemic.

— Russia’s Health Ministry on Thursday advised Russians against traveling abroad for the New Year holiday due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

— Over 100 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Russia, Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova said Thursday.

Dec. 30

— Russia confirmed 21,073 Covid-19 infections and 926 deaths. Cases in Moscow rose from 1,798 on Wednesday to 2,661 on Thursday, a nearly 50% increase.

Dec. 29

— Russia confirmed 21,119 Covid-19 infections and 932 deaths.

Dec. 28

— Russia confirmed 21,922 Covid-19 infections and 935 deaths.

Dec. 27

— Russia confirmed 23,210 Covid-19 infections and 937 deaths.

Dec. 26

— Russia confirmed 23,721 Covid-19 infections and 968 deaths.

Dec. 25

— Russia confirmed 24,946 Covid-19 infections and 981 deaths.

Dec. 24

— Russia confirmed 24,703 Covid-19…