MOSCOW, December 31. /TASS/. The surge in daily coronavirus infections in Russia can make 35,000-40,000 after the New Year, chief physician of the Lider Meditsina center Yevgeny Timakov believes.
"There will definitely be 30,000 cases a day after the New Year, and maybe 35,000-40,000 in a week or two after the New Year. Unfortunately, people do not abide by rules during holidays. They will still gather in apartments, the infection rate will still be on the rise," he told TASS.
The expert recalled that much depends on Russians themselves and their attitude to this challenge. "The question here is whether the majority of the population can bite the bullet and try to comply with all the necessary measures. If there is a huge number of infections at one time, no healthcare system can handle it. If there is understanding that distance should be maintained, it won’t happen," Timakov concluded.
Russia has never reported more than 30,000 coronavirus cases in 24 hours. The highest daily number on record was 29,935 seen on December 24.
According to the latest statistics, more than 83 million people have been infected worldwide and more than 1,800,000 deaths have been reported. To date, 3,131,550 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 2,525,418 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 56,426 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.