COVID-19 cases rise to 353,427 in Russia; experts raise doubts over number of deaths

There have been 353,427 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 3,633 deaths.  

Moscow: Russia's coronavirus caseload exceeded 350,000 on Monday, with health officials reporting almost 9,000 new infections over the past 24 hours and 92 deaths, which brought the overall death toll to 3,633.

The country's comparatively low mortality rate raises questions among experts both in Russia and in the West, with some suggesting the government may be manipulating the statistics and underreporting virus-related deaths.

Russian officials vehemently deny the allegations and attribute the low numbers to the effectiveness of measures taken to curb the spread of the outbreak.

The total number of coronavirus cases, globally, has surpassed 5.49 million, including more than 346,000 fatalities. More than 2,301,000 patients are reported to have recovered.