COVID hits Russia

A new wave of coronavirus infections arrives in Russia when Saint Petersburg hosts Eurocup matches hosting two groups (B and E). Meetings with the public (26,264 spectators in Belgium-Russia), when the statistics are getting worse: 14,723 new cases were registered nationwide on Sunday, the worst number since February 13 (the total population is more than 146 million people). According to official data from the authorities, since the start of the pandemic Russia has registered 5,208,687 cases and 126,430 deaths (357 of them have occurred in the last 24 hours).

Moscow was the most punished city (7,704 new cases), but St. Petersburg (862) followed, where seven duels of the European Championship were played. Currently this city in the north of the country has 15,476 active cases (with a population of more than five million). Since the beginning of the pandemic, they have suffered 14,898 deaths from COVID and 450,730 infections.

After a low in St. Petersburg in 2021 in mid-April (687 daily), now the curve is back on an upward trend that threatens to return to the worst time. The moment could not be more inopportune: to the Eurocup is added the phenomenon of the White Nights of Saint Petersburg. From the end of May to the middle of July, the sky remains illuminated all night with a light similar to that of sunset. The streets get crowded until the wee hours …

Faced with this increase, the authorities seek to educate people to protect themselves. In Russia they have four vaccines of their own manufacture, which are free and freely accessible to everyone over 18 years of age. “In terms of the volume of vaccine produced, we can vaccinate anyone who wants,” Putin said two days ago. The problem is that people “distrust all these procedures,” he added. Russia is currently vaccinated at a rate of 294,595 daily doses: a total of 32,734,213 have been given. As two doses are required, this represents 11.3% of the total population with full treatment.

No mask

The image that illustrates this news is from the fan zone located in Saint Petersburg, with the followers following the game mostly without masks. In Russia they are not mandatory on the street and not inside bars. Hardly anyone uses them. They are only mandatory on public transport and in stores.