Russian COVID-19 deaths hit new record, some hospitals low on oxygen

Russia on Wednesday reported a record 1,239 deaths from COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, just days after most of its regions emerged from a week-long workplace shutdown designed to curb the spread of the virus.

The government coronavirus task force also reported 38,058 new COVID-19 cases, including 3,927 in Moscow, in the past 24 hours.

Health minister Mikhail Murashko told parliament on Wednesday that oxygen reserves at hospitals in 12 of Russia's regions would last for two days or less, unless they were replenished.

At the same time, he said, some regions were already reporting a decline in infections and the vaccination campaign was bearing fruit as only 3-4% of inoculated Russians have been infected.

More than 62 million Russians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Murashko said.