Putin to order Russians to stop work for a week amid skyrocketing coronavirus deaths
A visitor in the cafe wears a protective mask, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is displayed on the TV screen.
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The Russians have been told to take a week’s paid vacation to try and fight the country’s Covid-19 crisis as the number of daily deaths from the virus reached its highest level since the start of the pandemic.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin announced that “in order to prevent the further spread of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) and to protect public health, the President announced that from October 30 to November 7, 2021, inclusive, will be paid without payment. working days.”
The Kremlin said it recommended that this measure be applied throughout Russia. Today, individual regions of the country have been largely in control of defining their own Covid rules and restrictions throughout the public health crisis.
On meeting with government wednesdayPutin told officials: “We know that, unfortunately, this problem is also escalating, and it is impossible to ignore it.” He announced that he supports the proposal to introduce a week of paid holidays from October 30, and to start earlier in regions particularly hard hit by Covid cases.
The move stems from the fact that Russia, which has been one of the worst-hit countries from the Covid, is grappling with a growing death toll. A record 36,339 new cases and 1,036 deaths were reported Thursday. To date, Russia has recorded 227,389 deaths from Covid and more than 8.1 million cases of infection.
How bad is it?
The daily cases of the disease and the death toll in Russia have been on the rise for several weeks, mainly because a significant portion of the population remains unvaccinated. Covid vaccines have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of severe infection, hospitalization, and death.
On Wednesday, Putin once again called on Russian citizens to take vaccines, stating that: “We see the dangerous consequences of low vaccination rates in our country. I repeat once again: vaccination does reduce the risk of serious illness or serious complications. after and the threat of death … I also once again urge all citizens to be vaccinated. It’s about protecting yourself, your safety, even your life, the health of your loved ones. “
There are also concerns about reduced immunity in those who are fully vaccinated, as clinical evidence shows that immunity afforded by Covid vaccines wanes after about six months.
Another cause for concern is the discovery of a mutation in the delta variant – currently the dominant strain worldwide – which is increasingly being identified in the UK, which is also seeing a sharp increase in the number of cases. Although the mutation was discovered in Russia, it is too early to say whether it affects the increase in the number of infected.
More details: The delta variant has a mutation that worries experts: here’s what we know so far
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova on Wednesday presented the epidemiological situation in the country to Putin and the government, noting that it “is becoming more and more complex.”
“For more than a month, we have seen a steady increase in the incidence, and today the number of registered new cases of Covid-19 is approaching 35,000 per day,” she said, with incidence rates increasing in all age groups. She also called the increase in hospital admissions “a very heavy burden on the health care system.”
“At present, there are 276,500 beds deployed in the Russian Federation, of which 66.1% are equipped with oxygen. As of yesterday morning, 86.6% of all beds in the country were occupied, ”Golikova said. “We are particularly concerned about the rise in deaths from COVID-19. Lately, we have been losing over 1000 people every day. These are terrible numbers. “
The level of Covid vaccinations in Russia has been a constant scarecrow for the state, given that the majority of the population is skeptical about vaccinating their own country, Sputnik V.
More details: Putin Says Russia Won’t Make Covid Vaccines Mandatory, But Skepticism Remains A Problem
“I want to emphasize that severe disease and high mortality rates are observed in unvaccinated people. We are seeing a gradual increase in vaccination rates, but this is still not enough. Today this figure slightly exceeds 45%, ”Golikova said.
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