Russia close to surpassing threshold of 30,000 daily COVID-19 cases

Russia is close to surpassing a threshold of 30,000 daily coronavirus cases amid a surge in infections, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Tuesday, according to the Kremlin, reported Xinhua.

With daily infections on the rise, and more than 20,000 being registered on a daily basis, Russia is close to surpassing the threshold of 30,000, she said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

She added that infection rates continued to remain highest among the elderly, emphasizing that citizens over the age of 65 required special attention as they were more likely to develop severe forms of the disease.

Golikova said it was necessary to carry out nationwide lotteries once a month for those that choose to get vaccinated, saying that a total of 495 people received cash prizes of 100,000 rubles (about 1,382 U.S. dollars) last month.

She said coronavirus cases are on the rise in 67 of Russia's regions, and 42.2 million people have been fully vaccinated in the country to date. Another 35.9 million people must be fully vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, and 7.6 million must get re-vaccinated.

A lockdown is currently not being envisaged, she said.