By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Russian health authorities reported records in daily cases and deaths Saturday, reporting 33,208 new infections and 1,002 deaths, according to the Moscow Times.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

To date, 7,958,384 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 6,981,907 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 222,315 fatalities nationwide.

Russian authorities blame a slow vaccination campaign for the sharp rise of infections and deaths. The surge comes with just a third of Russians fully inoculated as of Saturday.

Only around 48 million out of 144 million Russians are fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from the coronavirus task force, with 51 million having received one shot.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said, “We have been recording quite high mortality rates in recent months. And I would like to remind everyone that, as of today, the main preventive measure that helps protect an individual and helps avoid a fatal outcome is vaccination.”

Golikova mentioned four available Russian vaccines – Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac, which have proven their effectiveness and safety both inside the country and abroad.

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“All of them are available, and each citizen of the Russian Federation has the opportunity to get vaccinated with Russian jabs,” she noted.

Independent polls show that more than half of Russians do not plan to get a shot.