Russia has reported a pandemic high for both new coronavirus infections and fatalities over 24 hours, with the country's vaccination drive at a snail's pace and few restrictions in place, AFP reports.

Officials registered 31,299 new infections and 986 deaths from Covid-19 over 24 hours, bringing Russia's total fatalities to 220,315 — the highest toll in Europe.

The surging outbreak has come with just 31 per cent of Russians fully inoculated, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid-19 data from the regions.

A lack of tough restrictions has allowed the virus to spread, though a number of regions have re-introduced QR codes for access to public places.

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