Russia's confirms 9 434 new cases of coronavirus

Russia confirmed 9 434 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 335 882. The head of Russia's public health watchdog, Anna Popova, said the growth of new coronavirus cases in Russia is stabilizing.

Over the past 24 hours, a record 139 people have died, bringing the total toll to 3 388 — a rate considerably lower than in many other countries hit hard by the pandemic.

One of Russia's most high-profile virus cases, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, returned to work this week after receiving treatment for the illness in hospital.

Overall, 107 936 people in Russia are no longer infected with coronavirus, health officials said Friday. Authorities have said the situation is stabilizing and half a million industrial and construction workers have been allowed to return to work in Moscow.

Russia has recorded far fewer deaths than other countries with large outbreaks, but critics have cast doubt on the low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting to play down the scale of the crisis.

Russian health officials say one of the reasons the count is lower than in the United States and parts of western Europe is that only deaths directly caused by the virus are being included.