<span style="color: #222222;">Russia reported 697 COVID-19 deaths in the previous 24 hours, the fifth straight day the country has set a new record as it battles the surging Delta variant.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">It also recorded 24,439 new Corona virus infections, the highest figure since the middle of January when Russia was emerging from its second wave of the pandemic.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Moscow, the biggest virus hotspot nationwide, recorded 116 deaths, close to the city's pandemic record seen earlier this week.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Russia's Corona virus outbreak has been surging since mid-June against a background of reluctance among many to get vaccinated and suspicion of home-grown shots. </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">So far, just 16 per cent of Russia's 146 million people have been jabbed.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Moscow on Thursday began offering third doses to those who received their second more than six months ago to boost their defence against new variants.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged Russians to listen to experts rather than rumours about the virus and vaccines, although he also said, he was opposed to making inoculations compulsory nationwide.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">So far, 1,37,262 people have died among 5.5 million infected in Russia, according to official figures.</span><br />''  <br />