Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 14

Jan. 14: What you need to know today

• Russia on Friday reported 23,820 new Covid-19 infections 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. He said daily cases would likely top 7,000 on Saturday. Moscow’s record daily infection tally was 9,120 in June 2021.
• Russia has so far confirmed 698 official cases of the Omicron variant, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova announced at a meeting with  on Wednesday.
• President Vladimir Putin said health authorities only have “a couple of weeks” to prepare for the next wave of the pandemic.
  

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 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 infections and 998 deaths.

Dec. 23

— Russia confirmed 25,667 Covid-19 infections and 1,002 deaths.

— Moscow confirmed over 3,000 new Covid cases, a 60% jump compared to Wednesday.

Dec. 22

— Russia on Wednesday confirmed 25,264 Covid-19 infections and 1,020 deaths.

Dec. 21

— Russia on Tuesday confirmed 25,907 Covid-19 infections and 1,027 deaths.

— Russia has detected 41 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 so far, health authorities said Tuesday.

Dec. 20

— Russia confirmed 27,022 Covid-19 infections and 1,019 deaths.

Dec. 19

— Russia confirmed 27,967 Covid-19 infections and 1,024 deaths.

— Russia could send free shipments of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to Africa in the future, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which finances and promotes the jab, has said.

Dec. 18

— Russia confirmed 27,434 Covid-19 infections and 1,076 deaths.

Dec. 17

—  Russia confirmed 27,743 Covid-19 infections and 1,080 deaths.

—  Russia claimed its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine provides “robust” long-term protection against the Omicron variant, disputing the findings of an independent study which found the Russian jab produced no antibody response whatsoever to the new highly transmissible variant.

Dec. 16

— Russia has detected the Omicron variant in 25 people so far, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said.

— Russia confirmed 28,486 Covid-19 infections and 1,133 deaths.

— Russian lawmakers approved legislation in a first reading that will require people to show health passes to access public places like bars and restaurants, as the country gears up for a winter Covid wave.

— Russia has not yet provided all the information requested by the WHO to certify the country’s flagship Sputnik V vaccine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. “It’s true that some information needed for certification has not yet been submitted. We had a different understanding of what information was needed and how it has to be submitted, we have different standards, etc,” Peskov told journalists, adding that the Kremlin is not worried by the lengthy approval process the vaccine has faced.

Dec. 15

—Russians with coronavirus antibodies from both foreign and domestic vaccines will be able to get a QR code valid for six months, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said Monday.

— Russia will scrap the proposed bill that would require QR codes to access public transport, State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced on his Telegram channel on Sunday.

Dec. 6

— Russia has confirmed its first reported cases of the Omicron variant. The new strain was detected in two people who traveled into the country from South Africa, Russia’s consumer and health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said. Another 10 Russians who returned from South Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus and their samples are currently being analyzed to determine the variant, the agency added.

Dec. 3

— Russia said it recorded its deadliest month in decades in October, with the total number of excess deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic surpassing 810,000.

Dec. 2

— Russia will require citizens entering the country from South Africa or neighboring countries to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival due to the Omicron variant starting Dec. 2, Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova announced.

Nov. 30

— Russian President Vladimir Putin called for mutual recognition of vaccines against the coronavirus to help curtail the pandemic, as concern grows around the world about the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

— Russians returning from countries with which Moscow has not formally restored air travel will have to quarantine for 14 days, Anna Popova, the head of Russia’s Rospotrebnadzor consumer and health watchdog said. The validity of health passes obtained by a negative PCR test will also be reduced from 72 to 48 hours. Popova also advised Russians not to travel abroad for New Year holidays as part of a package of recommendations outlined in response to the Omicron variant.

— Putin has ordered the government to create an updated action plan for the Omicron strain by next week, he said at an investment forum.

Nov. 29

— As many as 1,500 Russian tourists have been left stranded in South Africa as…