Coronavirus death toll hits record levels as Russia ponders non-working week

Medical staff wearing protective gear look after a coronavirus patient in a Moscow hospital (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russia’s coronavirus deaths surged to another daily record on Wednesday as soaring infections prompted the Cabinet to suggest declaring a non-working week to stem contagion.

The government task force reported 1,028 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. That brought the total death toll to 226,353 — by far the highest in Europe.