Russian Record Daily Death Toll Keeps Rising

(AP)-Coronavirus deaths in Russia have hit a record for the fifth straight day, with the authorities reporting 697 fatalities Saturday as the country faces a rapid surge of infections. The previous record on Friday was 679. Russia’s state coronavirus task force reported 24,439 new coronavirus cases – the highest daily tally since January and 1,200 more than the day before. Moscow, its outlying region and St. Petersburg accounted for nearly half of the new cases. The Kremlin insisted on Friday that the authorities are not discussing another lockdown. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that the situation with the coronavirus remains “tense” in a number of regions, but said that “no one wants any lockdowns.”