Russia registered a record number of daily COVID-19-related deaths on July 6 amid a surge in cases across the world's largest country that the authorities blame on the infectious Delta variant.

The government's coronavirus taskforce said today that 737 people had died in the last 24 hours, the highest figure confirmed in a single day since the pandemic began, according to RBC. 

Moscow and St. Petersburg were the worst-hit regions throughout Russia's pandemic, accounting for 114 and 99 coronavirus-linked deaths, respectively registered on July 5.  

The government coronavirus taskforce noted on July 6 that a total number of the coronavirus-linked deaths registered in Russia since the beginning of the pandemic has reached 139,316.  

Meanwhile, Rosstat says more than 270,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Russia by the end of April.