The Latest: Russia registers another record in daily deaths

MOSCOW — Russia has registered another record number of daily coronavirus deaths as it faces a rapid surge of contagion amid low vaccination rates.

The government coronavirus task force reported 973 coronavirus deaths Tuesday, the highest daily toll since the start of the pandemic. The country has continuously registered new coronavirus death records this month. Daily infections also have been hovering near all-time highs, with 28,190 new confirmed cases Tuesday.

Despite the rapidly mounting coronavirus caseload and deaths, the Kremlin has ruled out a nationwide lockdown, delegating the power to make decisions on tougher coronavirus restrictions to regional authorities.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Russia registers another record in daily deaths at 973

— Report says UK’s slow virus lockdown cost thousands of lives

— Moderna has no plans to share its COVID-19 vaccine recipe

— Merck asks FDA to authorize promising COVID-19 pill

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See all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani authorities on Tuesday reported less than 700 coronavirus cases for the first time since June amid a steady decline in the infections from coronavirus.

There were 689 confirmed cases and 18 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, according to the country’s National Command and Operation Center.

The latest development comes weeks after Pakistan said unvaccinated people won’t be allowed to work in offices, enter shopping malls or attend schools. It forced many people to get vaccinated to avoid punitive measures. The country is offering free shots to teens and...