MOSCOW, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia reported 24,633 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, as the Delta variant continues to spread, taking the nationwide tally to 5,982,766, the official monitoring and response center said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the nationwide death toll grew by 719 to 149,138, according to the agency.
Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko on Monday urged all citizens to get vaccinated by autumn.
Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 4,007 new cases on Monday, taking its total to 1,467,142, officials said.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Monday that there was a noticeable decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the capital over the past week.
Starting on Monday, all restaurants and cafes in Moscow will no longer be required to use the QR code system introduced earlier as a measure to curb the spread of the virus. Enditem