Russia's COVID-19 Death Rate Reaches 1,002, Due To Slow Vaccination

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JAKARTA - Russia reported a record 1,002 deaths from the coronavirus on Saturday, October 16. For information, this is the first time the 1,000 has been broken for a death case since the start of the pandemic.

The bad news for Russia hasn't stopped. Quoted from Channel News Asia, the new COVID-19 cases, confirmed in the last 24 hours, reached 33,208.

It set a record for the fifth day in a row, Russia's coronavirus task force said.

The latest COVID-19 deaths bring the overall toll to 223,312 deaths, for a total of nearly eight million cases.

Russian authorities blame a sluggish vaccination program for the sharp spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths.

This condition forced the Ministry of Health to ask retired medical personnel who had been vaccinated to return to help at the hospital.

Russia estimates that 45 percent of its population may have immunity to the new coronavirus after receiving the vaccine or recovering from the disease. In Moscow, the rate is 61 percent and 64 percent in the area around the capital.

Russia was quick to develop and launch the Sputnik V vaccine when the coronavirus pandemic hit last year. But the reception was slow, with many Russians disbelieving.

Only about 48 million of Russia's 144 million people are fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from the coronavirus task force, with 51 million receiving one injection.