MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/. Russia's growing novel coronavirus infection rates should be blamed on a number of factors, such as many people's failure to observe the necessary precautions, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told the media on Thursday.

"The people must remember above all that collective protection is of the essence, and the achievement of herd immunity is a basic requirement for preventing the infection from spreading. That's one thing. Secondly, facemasks, social distancing and the observance of restrictive measures until the herd immunity has been achieved. This is another crucial factor," Murashko said, when asked about the reasons behind the growing COVID rates.

Murashko said many were asking if Russia was experiencing a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, but at the same time quite a few people were in no hurry to do something for the sake of prevention personally. He stressed it was the right moment to be vaccinated.

"Each individual must take care of oneself and close relatives in the current situation, to be vaccinated and to take the necessary precautions. Now, as the holiday season has begun, everybody is advised to do this in advance. Get vaccinated while making your holiday plans, if you wish to enjoy a good vacation and get home healthy after holiday trips. Get ready now, because when the autumn sets in, there will follow customary seasonal infections. Vaccination against flu must be done now," he concluded.

In Russia, according to the federal task force for struggle against the coronavirus, there have been 5,167,949 COVID cases so far; 4,771,995 patients have recovered and 125,278 others died. The Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.