Russia overtakes Germany and France in coronavirus case numbers after record daily rise

Russia’s coronavirus case tally surged to 177,160 on Thursday after a record daily rise in infections, meaning it now has the fifth highest number of registered cases in the world and more cases than in Germany or France.

More than half of all cases and deaths are in Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak, which on Thursday reported a record overnight increase of 6,703 new cases.

Russia’s official death toll, which remains far lower than in many countries, rose to 1,625 after 88 people died overnight, the taskforce said.