Deaths soar in Russia

Russia yesterday recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll for a third day running, as the country continues to struggle with the Delta variant amid sluggish vaccination rates. 

A government tally showed 819 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 22,144 new cases.

The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 4,337,725 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in late 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.

Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, has since mid-June been hit by a new wave of infections driven by the aggressive Delta variant.

The new figures bring Russia's total fatalities from Covid-19 to 169,683 -- the highest toll in Europe.

The figure only takes into account deaths where the virus was established as the primary cause of death after an autopsy.

Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat said that Russia has seen more than 300,000 fatalities as of the end of June.

Authorities have faced a vaccine-sceptic population, with a poll by the independent Levada Centre this week showing that 55 percent of Russians do not plan on getting inoculated.

Meanwhile, Australian police hiked fines for people breaking lockdown rules in Sydney and the rest of its home state yesterday and strict stay-at-home orders were extended statewide amid a record jump in daily new COVID-19 infections.

State police will fine up to A$5,000 ($3,700) anyone breaching stay-at-home orders or for lying to contract-tracing officials, said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Previously breaching quarantine orders had carried a A$1,000 fine.

"We have to accept that this is the worst situation New South Wales has been in since day one. And it's also regrettably, because of that, the worst situation Australia's been in," she told a news conference.

Locally transmitted infections surged by a record 466 over the previous 24 hours, eclipsing the previous daily high of 390 set on Friday. Four deaths were recorded yesterday, taking the state's total in the latest outbreak to 42.

It is becoming increasingly unlikely Sydney will end its nine-week lockdown on Aug. 28 as planned.