MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. The mortality grew by 18.6% in July 2021 in Russia compared to the same period last year which is related to a substantial increase in the incidence of the coronavirus infection, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told journalists on Friday.

"According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service’s official data, the mortality increased by 18.6% in July 2021 compared to the same period last year. This is related to the substantial rise in the incidence of the coronavirus infection in Russia, compared to last year, which began in June of this year and is continuing in 10 regions of the Russian Federation according to this week’s results. The entire increase in mortality accounts for the COVID-19 death toll," she stated.

The deputy prime minister added that, according to operative data, during the past days of August compared to the same period this July, the mortality in Russia has remained at the same level. "At the same time, a significant decrease in the mortality caused by the novel coronavirus infection occurred in August of this year in the Central Federal District, including Moscow and the Moscow Region, in the Northwestern Federal District, including St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. The aforementioned dynamics is shaped due to the increased coverage of the population with inoculation," she specified.

According to data of Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service published on the agency’s website on Friday, 215,300 people died in Russia in July 2021 which is 33,800 more than in July 2020, when 181,500 deaths were recorded in a month.

The number of deaths caused by the coronavirus in July 2021 amounted to 44,100 cases which is 7.3-fold more than in July 2020 (6,080).