MOSCOW

Russia on Thursday renewed its record for the daily number of coronavirus deaths, with 1,195 more fatalities over the past day, taking the death toll to 243,255.

In the same period, 40,217 people tested positive for COVID-19, pushing the country's tally to 8.67 million, and active cases to 953,239, Russia's coronavirus emergency task force said in a daily report.

Recoveries over the last 24 hours increased by 31,928 to reach 7.47 million, the report said.

Since Oct. 28, Russia has been implementing a national 10-day non-working period aiming to stem the virus's spread.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 5.02 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with over 248.2 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.