Coronavirus: Russia reports over 4,000 deaths as medics warn of bursting hospitals

Health officials reported that 4,142 people had died in Russia from the virus, with 174 new deaths over the last 24 hours. The number of new deaths equaled Russia’s highest daily toll recorded yet on Tuesday. Officials said last week Russia would see a sharp rise in the mortality figures for May as they anticipate deaths of patients who were admitted to hospitals during the peak of the epidemic several weeks ago. Although the number of new cases has steadily declined, medical workers in Saint Petersburg said hospitals remain at peak capacity. Sergei Sayapin, a doctor at the Pokrovskaya municipal hospital, told local media that 650 patients were being treated at his hospital last week, which has just over 540 beds. “People lie on examination benches, without mattresses or pillows,” Sayapin was quoted as saying on Wednesday. He declined to speak to AFP.