COVID cases spiking in Russia as many continue to shun vaccine

Moscow — Speaking last week at an economic forum that brought thousands of people to an expo center in St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin said Russia had handled the coronavirus pandemic better than most other countries. 

"Half of the world is sitting at home," Putin said, addressing a crowd of mostly mask-less officials. "Our situation is better than in many other countries." Putin cautioned, however, that "the pandemic is not over." The most recent government data make that very clear.