In comparison to the rest of Russia's underfunded and poorly staffed hospitals, the affluent Moscow is faring much better in response to the new surge of coronavirus cases. This difference reveals the problematic wealth disparity between Moscow and the rest of Russia.
Poor methodology has been discovered to be giving false negative results for 30-40% of coronavirus testing. These incorrect results could lead to a greater spread of infection from those who falsely tested negative.
Crematorium records in St. Petersburg reveal that the city has been underreporting deaths due to coronavirus, thus reinforcing suspicions that Russian state officials have been underreporting the full extent of the pandemic.
Due to a second wave of coronavirus, schools in Moscow, Sakhalin, and the Ulyanovsk Region have started traditional mid-autumn breaks earlier, and it is unclear whether schools will open again after the break.
Russia refuses to share requested data behind coronavirus trial results for the medical journal The Lancet, which leads scientists worldwide to question the published results of Russia's vaccine, Sputnik V.
Russia’s Investigative Committee is planning to arrest a number of single, gay men on child trafficking charges and threatening to place their children in foster care for the duration of the investigation. These men became fathers through in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and surrogate mothers, which is against Russian law because only married couples and single women are allowed to act as donors. This law demonstrates the pervasive homophobia present in Russian society and how it is reflected in policy.
Coronavirus clinics in Moscow and Russia as a whole run out of beds for patients in the midst of a second wave of COVID-19. In response, Russia has started imposing new restrictions to prevent further infection
Moscow’s health department has expanded its list of people that are required to stay home and self-isolate as the number of new daily coronavirus cases has risen in Russia. Now, this list includes pregnant women and women who have recently given birth because they are at a higher risk of suffering from severe cases of COVID-19. While this recommendation is founded on good intentions, the Russian government and healthcare system need to take more concrete action in resolving other issues directly affecting women's health and safety.
Russia has proposed to refuse coronavirus benefits for medical professionals treating COVID-19 patients, to workers who fail to vaccinate against the virus.
Russia has approved a Covid-19 vaccine called Sputnik V and will start mass vaccinations in October. However, this vaccine does not meet scientific standards and ethical standards, and also has a lack of transparency. If Russia were to release this vaccination in an attempt to "win the vaccine race" and achieve global supremacy, it could greatly worsen the effects of the corona virus
The history of drug activism in Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union is one of great significance and turmoil, spanning over twenty-two years and a variety of movements. While calls for the humanization and medical treatment of drug-users in Russia have been persistent, victims of the country's opioid epidemic are continually oppressed by law enforcement, as civil dissent is increasingly prohibited. As Russia's opioid epidemic worsens, and more individuals fall victim thereof, many aspects of the calls for change in the country are strikingly familiar to social justice movements globally.
