Russia has reported a record-breaking 40,096 COVID-19 cases in just a day.
Russian health authorities have blamed the outbreak on the Delta strain along with low vaccination rates,
The number of infections has now risen to 0.48% with 3,186 in St. Petersburg, 2,639 in Moscow, 1,357 in Samara, 794 in Nizhny Novgorod, and 763 in Voronezh.
COVID-19 deaths have also increased by 1,159 per day and have now totaled 235,057.
The Russian government has shut down all non-essential services and schools in Moscow, while only food, medicine, and other essential retailers are allowed to remain open.
There are no announcements yet on whether a total lockdown would be implemented in Moscow.
The Russian government however is now pleading with citizens to get vaccinated instead of imposing lockdowns.