Russian deaths rose 21% in Feb from a year earlier amid COVID - stats agency

The total number of deaths in Russia was 20.6% higher in February than a year earlier when no coronavirus cases had been registered, data from the national statistics service Rosstat showed on Friday. Russia recorded its first COVID-19 infection in early March 2020. The official COVID-19 death data for March will be published in May.

The total number of deaths in Russia was 20.6% higher in February than a year earlier when no coronavirus cases had been registered, data from the national statistics service Rosstat showed on Friday. Russia recorded its first COVID-19 infection in early March 2020. The total number of cases since then recently crossed the 4.5 million mark.

A total of 29,493 more people died in February this year, compared with the same time last year. Of these cases, 24,369 were considered linked to the coronavirus, Rosstat said. Russian authorities report a daily, rising death toll figure but that is only preliminary and subject to change. Official data is released on a monthly basis with some delay. The official COVID-19 death data for March will be published in May.