Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday - CBC.ca

The latest:

Russia recorded a new daily high number of COVID-19 cases as much of the country's businesses remain closed in an effort to counter a weeks-long surge in infections.

The national coronavirus task force on Sunday reported 40,993 new infections over the previous day, up more than 700 on the previous record of a day earlier. Russia has tallied new record of infections or deaths almost daily during October.

The death toll reported Sunday was 1,158, just slightly down from Friday's record 1,163.

That brought Russia's official COVID-19 death count to 238,538, by far the largest in Europe. More than 8.51 million infections have been recorded in the country of 146 million during the pandemic.

A person is administered a dose of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in Krymsk, Krasnodar region, Russia, on Friday. (Vitaly Timkiv/The Associated Press)

The task force counts only deaths directly caused by the virus. The state statistics service Rosstat, which counts COVID-19 deaths by wider criteria, released figures Friday indicating a much higher toll.

Rosstat counted 44,265 deaths in September caused directly by the virus, or in which it was a contributing cause or of patients believed to have been infected. That would bring Russia's pandemic-long death toll to about 461,000 as of the end of September, nearly twice the task force's count.

To contain the spread of infection, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a non-working period from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7, during which most state agencies and private businesses are to suspend operations.

Moscow introduced the measure beginning Thursday, shutting down kindergartens, schools, gyms, entertainment venues and most stores, and restricting restaurants to takeout or delivery. Food stores, pharmacies and companies operating key infrastructure remained open.

Access to museums, theaters, concert halls and other venues in Russia is limited to people holding digital codes on their phones to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, a practice that will remain after Nov. 7. Unvaccinated people older than 60 have been ordered to stay home.

WATCH | Russia reimposes some restrictions amid record cases, deaths:

Russia reimposed COVID-19 restrictions as cases reach record numbers

6 days ago

Russia has reimposed COVID-19 restrictions in parts of the country, including asking unvaccinated seniors to stay home and declaring a ‘non-working’ week, as it records its highest daily numbers for new cases and deaths. 2:11

The government hopes that by keeping most people out of offices and public transportation, the non-working period will help curb the spread of the virus, but many Russians rushed to use the time off for a seaside Black Sea vacation or to take a trip to Egypt or Turkey.

Authorities have blamed soaring infections and deaths on Russia's lagging pace of vaccinations. About 51 million Russians — just over a third of the country's people — were fully vaccinated as of Sunday.

Russia was the first country in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine in August 2020 and proudly named the shot Sputnik V to showcase the country's scientific edge. But the vaccination campaign has stalled amid widespread public skepticism blamed on conflicting signals from authorities.

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What's happening in Canada

WATCH | NACI expands recommendations for booster shots:

NACI expands recommendations for booster shots

2 days ago

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has expanded recommendations for who should get a COVID-19 booster shot to include all seniors over the age of 80, Indigenous adults and some front-line health-care workers. Plus, is Canada falling behind by not giving booster shots to all adults? 3:20

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What's happening around the world

As of Sunday, more than 246.5 million COVID-19 cases had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University's online coronavirus database. The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.9 million.

In Asia, South Korea will drop all operating-hour curbs on restaurants and cafes and implement its first vaccine passport for high-risk venues such as gyms, saunas and bars.

People wearing masks are seen in Seoul on Saturday. (Heo Ran/Reuters)

In Europe, Sweden's response to the coronavirus was too slow and preparations to handle a pandemic were insufficient, a commission investigating the country's response to COVID-19 said.

In the Americas, enrolment in U.S. government-run health insurance program Medicaid during the pandemic grew 16 per cent, with more than 11 million additional sign ups, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said.

In Africa, Tanzania has made up for a slow start and has now administered more than 940,000 vaccine doses so far, according to the World Health Organization Africa Region.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday - CBC.ca
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