MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. The novel coronavirus situation in Russia varies from region to region, with areas where too many residents neglect preventive measures being the hardest hit, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Thursday.

"The situation in regions varies. When the population observes all the rules and vaccinates, the situation is calm. In regions with high population density, where people start neglecting epidemiological requirements, first of all preventive measures, the situation is starting to get tense," the minister said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel.

The minister went on to say that the common task for the entire country is to form herd immunity against the novel coronavirus.

"In fact, we are in the midst of a struggle. Everyone needs to understand that and join this struggle," he said.

According to the federal anti-coronavirus crisis center, a total of 5,167,949 novel coronavirus cases have been registered in Russia since the start of the pandemic, including 4,771,995 recoveries and 125,278 deaths.