Russia battered by deadly COVID 3rd wave

Russia enduring a devastating coronavirus third wave, seeing record daily deaths, amid a slow vaccine uptake and few significant restrictions.

Russia is enduring a devastating third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, registering record numbers of daily virus deaths many days for the past month as the virus rages in the country where there are few quarantine restrictions in place and much of the population is reluctant to get vaccinated. In many parts of the country doctors have said hospitals have been overflowing for almost a month, placing huge strain on medical workers already battered by a year and a half of the pandemic. Despite surging death tolls, authorities have declined to introduce tough restrictions or even strictly enforce ones in place like mask wearing. In the late spring, authorities had hailed a supposed end to the worst of the pandemic, following a grim winter that saw Russia reach the highest death toll per capita among developing nations. The few restrictions in place were almost all lifted. President Vladimir Putin at an economic forum in St. Petersburg at the start of June told a large crowd that "life is gradually returning to its normal course."