Russian employers in the food supply, grocery service and other sectors – all of which are obliged to have 60% of their employees vaccinated by July 15 – are asking for the deadline to be extended to August 15 because of a lack of capacity at vaccination centers across the country, according to Chris Weafer, the co-founder of Macro-Advisory in Moscow.
Weafer noted that there has been a spike in total new cases nationwide, despite a fall in Moscow, as the so-called ‘delta strain’ moves to other regions, particularly those around St Petersburg and Moscow. The death rate is at a record high of 5,000 per week, reflecting both better forensics and the fact that the more delta variant is spreading across populations with low vaccination rates.
According to Weafer, the Rosstat data for May showed a death rate that was back to normal, but this was the calm before the storm of the third wave. The government estimates that deaths were 13% higher in June, implying 35,000 excess deaths, the highest since January.
Moscow’s city government is allowing restaurants to host guests on open-air verandas without QR-codes until August 1, which was to have been July 12.
New travel restrictions for Russians
As of July 7, Russian citizens – and those from other post-Soviet republics who are entering Russia – must self-isolate until they receive a negative PCR test result, which they must take in Russia. The restriction does not apply to foreigners, as they need a negative PCR test to board a flight to the Russian Federation. The new rule does not apply to those with received both doses of a vaccination or who have recently recovered from COVID.
Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office has advised against travel to Russia because of the worsening COVID infection rate. St Petersburg is also tightening. As of July 13, gatherings of 75 people, or more, will be banned in the city.
Ukraine
The lockdown has driven new cases to low levels, and the number of active cases is falling. The ‘delta strain’ has been identified in Ukraine, but is not spreading very rapidly, Weafer said, adding that all of Ukraine is now in the so-called ‘green zone’. The quarantine system has been extended to the end of August. In terms of the country’s vaccination rate, only 2.8% of Ukrainians have received two doses, up from 2% last week, and 5.6% have had at least one dose. The vaccination drive is moving quickly, however, with over 100,000 new injections per day.
Kazakhstan
New infections remain at record levels with 11 regions in the red zone, up from eight the previous week. Further restrictions in Nur-Sultan include bans on large gatherings and entertainment venues. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a new strategy for combating the virus, including the adoption of a Taiwan-style approach with short and tight lockdowns. Tokayev also ordered that the Pfizer vaccine needs to be purchased and imported to Kazakhstan immediately. The vaccination campaign is progressing well, with about 13% of the population having received two doses (up from 11% the previous week), and 23% have received at least one dose.
Uzbekistan
New cases are still high and the ‘delta strain’ of COVID-19 has been discovered in Uzbekistan. There are new restrictions on mass events, and weddings are limited to 50 family members from the same region. The government is floating the idea of making vaccination compulsory.
Armenia
The peak of the third wave has been passed and new cases are down to a handful. The current quarantine has been extended until December 21. Mass vaccination started in Armenia in late April, although supplies are low. The authorities have had to set rules about where foreigners can be vaccinated, as waves of vaccination-deprived Iranians are crossing the border to receive an injection. Armenia’s vaccination campaign is running at about 5,000 per day, which is slower than what had been planned by the authorities.
Azerbaijan
The third wave has clearly peaked thanks to a tough lockdown. The government has now relaxed quarantine rules. Some 15.7% of the population has received two vaccine doses, up from 13.5% the previous week. Azerbaijan started their vaccination campaign before many other ex-Soviet countries by buying SinoVac in bulk.
Belarus
New cases in Belarus continued to rise last week, which may be a sign that the ‘delta variant’ is starting to appear in the country. About 7.3% of the population has had both doses, up from 5.8% last week. 11.2% have received at least one dose.
Georgia
There was a small rise in new cases, which may be due to the ‘delta’ strain. Georgnian government have warned that the situation is deteriorating and have encouraged more people to get vaccinated. The vaccination roll-out has been limited by supplies, which left the country without mass vaccination capabilities until July 5. The government has said that there are about 80,000 free vaccination slots, so willingness may be an issue, but the low numbers of vaccinated people is more likely due to the fact that the ruling Georgian government did not have a clearly defined pro-vaccination campaign aimed at the public while supplies were limited.
