Russia: President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of speeding up Covid-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, as the country experienced its greatest daily death toll since the outbreak began. He urged newly elected members of Russia’s lower legislative house, the State Duma, to persuade the Russian people to get vaccinated as the situation continues to worsen across the enormous country.
His instruction came on the same day Russia recorded 973 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the largest number of deaths in the country since the pandemic began.
He said, “You know that the number of infections is growing in many regions and medical specialists are working in difficult conditions. We all know well that vaccination can save us from the virus and a severe course of the disease. It is necessary to step up the vaccination pace.” He added, “I would like to ask you to be most active in this work, to educate people and speak in the media. People trust and listen to your advice and recommendations. It is very important to do this without a tone of administrative reprimand. We should persistently and patiently work with the people and explain to them the benefits of preventing this dangerous disease.”