Biosecurity

Russia's New Coronavirus Cases Triple Overnight, Totaling 658

Russia confirmed 163 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases up to 658 and marking the largest one-day increase in cases so far.

Russia’s officially reported numbers — which are still smaller than those in European countries — have sparked suspicion as they spiked in the past week. Experts warn that Russia's testing capacity is hampered by bureaucracy, while officials warn that the real number of cases is likely much higher.

This week, Moscow changed the way it counts its coronavirus cases, with patients considered coronavirus-positive upon a single positive test rather than having samples sent to a lab Novosibirsk for further verification.

Russia has registered three coronavirus-related deaths so far. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 420,000 people and killed more than 16,000.