Russia sets records for virus deaths

MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday registered record numbers for daily infections and deaths from the coronavirus, as the country avoids reimposing a nationwide lockdown.

Health officials reported 29,935 new infections, bringing the country’s caseload to 2,963,688 -- the fourth-highest in the world. They also registered 635 deaths, increasing total fatalities to 53,096 since the beginning of the pandemic. Russia’s death rate is much lower than that of other badly hit countries, raising concerns that authorities could be downplaying the scale of the outbreak.