MOSCOW 

Russia registered on Monday the biggest daily growth in COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

Over the past day, 17,347 people tested positive for COVID-19, the highest single-day growth since the first cases were reported in Russia in February, the country's emergency task force said.

Over 1.53 million people have already been exposed to the disease in Russia with active cases standing at 358,859.

Recoveries grew by 7,574 since yesterday, taking the total number of successfully cured people to 1.14 million, while fatalities rose by 219 to reach 26,269.

Authorities say it can take about half a year to stabilize the situation, and several years to overcome the harm it has caused.

Despite a rising number of cases, authorities ruled out introduction of a nationwide lockdown similar to the one Russia was on from the end of March till mid-May.

The capital Moscow, however, asked businesses that at least a third of their staff must work remotely.

In some regions educational institutions, including schools and universities, have also reverted to remote learning.

Over 43 million people have contracted the novel coronavirus globally, while the fatalities exceeded 1.15 million, and more than 28.97 million recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University’s running tally.

The US, India, and Brazil are currently the worst-hit countries.