Russia in record virus case rise as Moscow mayor rubbishes doomsday scenario

Russia said on Saturday its death toll from the novel coronavirus had risen to 313, an overnight increase of 40, as it posted a new record daily jump in new cases. The city's mayor said that he had enough beds for two weeks but could not make predictions beyond this - even though Vladimir Putin on Friday unveiled a new 800-bed Covid-19 hospital built in a record 36 days.  'The primary task for us today is to ensure the healthcare system's margin of endurance for the foreseeable perspective,' said mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Slideshow: The medical companies racing to find a Covid-19 vaccine (lovemoney) On Saturday he extended temporary lockdown restrictions on people's movements in the city until 1 May. This contradicts Professor Sergei Netesov, a virologist and former head of Vector laboratory which is at the forefront of Russian testing and efforts to produce a vaccine, who warned Moscow can expect 'the same picture (as New York)'. On Friday, president Putin unveiled via video link a coronavirus hospital built from scratch on a greenfield site in 36 days. The mammoth emergency £92 million complex, near Moscow, will initially hold 800 patients - 300 more than originally announced - and it comes amid fears of the city's capacity being overrun. Watch: Cleaning firm disinfect their community's streets (PA Media) Russia is building 16 army hospitals from scratch from the Baltic to the Pacific to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Private testing results in Moscow among people without symptoms suggest the virus has penetrated more deeply into its population than official data shows.   After the latest coronavirus figures were released, Mr Putin ordered the government to provide daily forecasts of the virus's spread.  Watch: UK death toll rises to 15,464 (ITN News) The government must 'provide a short-term prognosis of the number of citizens who may contract the new infectious disease (COVID-19)' and report its estimates on a daily basis, according to an order published on the Kremlin's website.  Initially declared on March 30, the lockdown regime banned residents from leaving their homes unless they were going to buy food or medicines, get urgent medical treatment or walk the dog.