Russian statistics soar for virus-linked deaths in 2020
By Jan. 1, the task force reported a total 57,555 deaths. Russian officials ascribe that to different counting methods, saying the task force only includes deaths where COVID-19 was the main cause. December accounted for the highest number of Russian deaths since April โ 44,435, according to Rosstat. AdRosstatโs count is much higher than the 77,068 deaths that have been reported by the Russian governmentโs coronavirus task force so far, including deaths that occurred in January and February. The Kremlin credited the government's response measures for Russiaโs low COVID-19 mortality, and experts cited the way Russia counts virus deaths as one of the reasons behind the relatively low reported number of virus deaths.