COVID-19 deaths are surging in Russia, but vaccination lags

With COVID-19 deaths at an all-time high in Russia, Kremlin and public healthofficials are pleading with tens of millions of people to get vaccinated, butthey say theyaren't considering reimposing a national lockdown to try tocurb the deadly fourth wave.

According to official figures,Russia recorded nearly 30,000 cases and 957 deaths on Monday. Throughout the pandemic, the country's coronavirus task force has attributed roughly 218,000 deaths to COVID-19, but there has been continued criticism that the tally is an undercount.

The country's statistics agency, Rosstat, publishes monthly data. According to its figures, since April 2020, there have been nearly 600,000 excess deaths and that number is climbing.

While the virus spreadis rampant,vaccination rates are lagging.Across the country, slightly lessthan40 per centof all adultsare fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov,which collects vaccination statistics across the country. Slightly more than 40 per cent have one shot.

While Russia's Minister of Health acknowledges the country is in a"very tense" situation,senior Kremlinofficials have been reluctant toroll out additionalrestrictions on a national level.And in the country's capital, municipal officials are opting for more testing sites throughout Moscowinstead of introducing new restrictions or stepping up enforcement of the public health measures.

Wearing a mask on Moscow's metro system is already mandatory, but besides an automatic recording played over the speaker systems thanking people for wearing the masks, there appears to be little enforcement.

More than six million passengers pile onto trains or move through the city's historic stations every day, and onboard the metro cars there are plenty of people standing shoulder to shoulder, either not wearing masks or wearing them around their chins.

Aminata Alenskaya grinnedwhen CBC asked her why she wasn't wearing a mask.

"Ibelieve in my own body," she said. "It is smart and can protect itself wonderfully."

A few cars down, Nadezhda Laykova, 70, saidthe metro is the only place where she wears a mask specifically because of the large crowds.Everywhere else, she doesn't bother.

'You can die from anything'

"It's all in the hands of God. Each one of us has his time," she said."You can die from anything. A stroke, a heart attack. ... so [why]be afraid of COVID?"

Laykova spoke to CBC while she was riding on a train branded to celebrate the work of doctors and nurses during the pandemic.

The word "thank you" is scrawled in several different languages across the cars, and there are pictures of health-care workersand a drawing of the coronavirusspike protein with an X through it.

Officials with the metro system have boasted that the transport authority is No. 1 in the world when it comes to the numberof hand sanitizers installed in stations, but just like the seats thatare blocked off for distancingbut frequently occupied on the trains anyway,most commutersdon't pay too much attention.

Back in the spring of 2020, when Moscow was recording a few thousand cases every day, the city ushered in a strict stay at home order, where people could only leave their homes for work, medical appointmentsor to shop at the nearest grocery store.

Shopping malls were closed and the federal authorities declared "non-working weeks" in an attempt to get people to stay at homeor head to the country and isolate in the dachas.

As in all other countries, COVID-19 restrictions hit Russia's economy, which was already struggling with low oil prices.

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Unlike other countriesthat reimposed shutdowns during second and third waves, Russia has prioritized keeping its economy runningand is doing so again this time.

On June 28, 2021, when cases were rising during the third wave, Moscow implemented a QR code system thatwould only let people dine in restaurants and cafsif they had been vaccinated, had a negative PCR testor had proof they had already been previously infected with COVID-19.

It was cancelled three weeks later after complaints from the hospitality industry.

While some smaller regions like Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave situated between Lithuania and Poland, are introducing QR code systems, Moscow isn't,nor is there any push from the federal authorities to do so.

Vaccination lags

In a briefing with some of his top officials on Oct. 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin was told by Deputy Prime MinisterTatyana Golikovathat the country is on track to exceed 30,000 cases a day. She added that Russia stillneeds tovaccinate nearly 36 million peopleand give booster shots to seven million who had their vaccines more than six months ago.

In mid-September, CBC visited an exhibition centreturned vaccination clinic in Moscow, which at one time saw 7,000 people streaming through a day to get a shot.

But demand has dwindled, which is why part of the room is now reserved for hosting events while a small section of it remains a vaccination clinic.

Dr. Andrei Tezhelnikov, head of the clinic, said about five million people havebeen vaccinated in Moscow, which is about 50 per cent of the adult population.

He calls that pretty"large coverage," but admits heis still very concerned about the rising cases.

According to federal officials, only 40 per cent of those 65 and older in Russiahave received a shot, and this group has the highest COVID-19mortality rate.

Tezhelnikov said some believe they don't need the shot because they think they have already had their virus, while others don't trust the vaccine.

Sputnik stalled

Russia has four domestically produced vaccines, including Sputnik V. It was unveiled back in August 2020, but still hasn't been approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization.

The WHO said it found some issues with how vials were being filled at one of the country's four production plants, and needed to do additional inspections.

On Oct. 8, an official with the WHO said it was "slowly solving most of the issues" related to Sputnik, but there is no clear timeframe for when it will be approved by the organization or the European Medical Agency.

Putintold advisers during a televised roundtable that it helped protect him when dozens of his entourage fell ill.

At the vaccination clinic, CBC spoke to several people who were rolling up their sleeves, including some like Dr. Alexander Susoev, who was getting his third dose.

Even though he works in health care, he believes vaccination needs to be a personal decision.

"If [people]are forced ... it will only get worse," he said. "Time will judge who is right."

Many areas have made a certain level of vaccination mandatory. In Moscow, for instance, employers in the child-care sectorand health-care fieldmust have at least 60 per cent of their staff vaccinated.

In an effort to boost vaccination rates, Russia is running lotteries and draws to give away cars.

There is also additional help for those who become sick and struggle with the lingering effects of a COVID-19 infection at one of the country'smany sanatoriums.

The wellness centres, which offer alternativetreatment, flourished during the Soviet era, and many are now catering therapy to COVID-19patients.

Post-COVIDcare

On a sprawling estatein the community of Kineshma, roughly 400 kilometres northeast of Moscow, dozens of patients are receiving rehabilitationtreatments, including sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber as part of a 10-day recovery staythat can be completely paid for by the government.

The Reshmacentre, which is located along forested trails near the Volga river, is one of many Russian sanatoriums that offer treatments, many of which the Canadian medical system would consider unproven and not backed up by evidence when it comes to post-COVIDcare.

In one room, patients wear vibrating vests, which doctors claim help to clear out airways, while in another people lieon tables and receive magnetic therapy, which health-care staff believe can stimulate the cardiovascular system.

Sanatoriums flourished during the Soviet era. The Reshma facility has treated astronauts and workers who responded to the cleanup of the Chornobyl nuclear plant after the accident there in 1986.

Now, there is a waiting list for the 50 spots inits post-COVIDprogram, and the centre's deputy chief doctor, Dr. Yulia Kulikova, believes the demand is only going to rise because cases are going upand people are putting themselves at risk.

"We can't force them to wear a mask. We can't force them to sit at home," Kulikova said."People understand this advice only when it personally affects them or their family members."

The treatment rooms and hallways are full of such testimonials.

Tatiana Lozhina, 35, was having a machine paddleher lower back.She got COVID-19in May and had to be hospitalized after having a very high fever and cough.

Even after her infection cleared, she felt weak and continued coughing, so her doctor recommended going to Reshma for treatment.

At the centre, she has been having multiple therapy sessions, including one-on-one time with a psychiatrist.

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"Before I got sick, I had a very casual approach to COVID. I believed that none of it was real," she said."If I had known it would be so hard, I would've done everything to prevent it."

Exceptpotentially get the shot.Even now, five months after her infection, she still isn't sure she ever wants to take a COVID-19 vaccine because she fears getting sick again.