Russia reports record number of virus deaths

MOSCOW: Russia on Friday reported its highest ever daily coronavirus death toll of 150, even though the number of new infections fell below 9,000 for the third day in a row. Health officials reported a total of 3,249 deaths and 326,448 cases, the second-highest number of infections in the world after the United States.

There were 8,894 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to a government tally, while 7,144 people recovered.

The strongman leader of Russia’s southern Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, was receiving treatment for a suspected coronavirus infection, news agencies reported on Thursday citing sources, though his aides did not confirm it. One of Russia’s most high-profile virus cases, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, returned to work this week after receiving treatment for the illness in hospital.

Overall, 99,825 people in Russia are no longer infected with coronavirus, health officials said on Friday.