MOSCOW -- New coronavirus infections in Russia reached an all-time high on Sunday, the third consecutive daily record as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads through the country.
The national coronavirus task force reported 63,205 new infections tallied in 24 hours -- a spike of more than 25% since the record set on Friday. The task force reported 679 deaths, similar to other daily death counts in the past week.
The omicron variant has been detected in 64 of the country's 89 regions and Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova says that authorities expect it to become the dominant variant.
Just about half of Russia's 146 million people have been fully vaccinated despite the fact that Russia was among the first in the world to approve and roll out a covid-19 vaccine. In Russia, everyone who received their primary vaccination more than six months ago has been eligible for a booster shot since July.
Gogov.ru, an independent website that tracks vaccinations, estimates that 8.8 million people have also received a booster shot. Still, daily new infections in Russia have been steadily climbing since Jan. 10.
Russia's state coronavirus task force has registered 326,112 deaths since the start of the pandemic -- by far Europe's worst death toll. Russia's state statistics agency, which uses broader counting criteria, puts the pandemic death toll even higher, saying the number of virus-linked deaths between April 2020 and October 2021 was over 625,000.
Russia's authorities admit that current surge could end up as the country's biggest yet but so far haven't announced any major restrictions to stem it.
A nationwide lockdown wasn't being discussed, officials said, the government decided to indefinitely postpone introducing restrictions for unvaccinated people, which would have been an extremely unpopular move among vaccine-hesitant Russians.
Russia has also cut the required isolation period for people infected with covid-19 from 14 to seven days, although it remains unclear when that takes effect.
Authorities say the country's soaring infections so far haven't led to a similar spike in hospitalizations.
Meanwhile, people in a Beijing district with some 2 million residents were ordered Sunday to undergo mass coronavirus testing following a series of infections as China tightened anti-disease controls ahead of the Winter Olympics.
The government told people in areas of the Chinese capital deemed at high risk for infection not to leave the city after 25 cases were found in the Fengtai district and 14 elsewhere.
The ruling Communist Party is stepping up enforcement of its "zero tolerance" strategy aimed at isolating every infected person as Beijing prepares to open the Winter Games on Feb. 4 under intensive anti-virus controls.
On Sunday, Fengtai residents lined up on snow-covered sidewalks in freezing weather for testing.
The Chinese capital must "take the most resolute, decisive and strict measures to block the transmission chain of the epidemic," a city government spokesman, Xu Hejian, told a news conference.
"In principle, personnel in risk areas shall not leave Beijing," Xu said.
Nationwide, 56 new confirmed infections were reported in the 24 hours through midnight Saturday. The National Health Commission said 37 were believed to have been acquired abroad.
China has reported 4,636 deaths out of 105,603 confirmed cases and seven suspected cases since the pandemic began.
The Olympics are being held under strict controls that are meant to isolate athletes, reporters and officials from the outside world. Athletes are required to be vaccinated or undergo a quarantine after arriving in China.
Other outbreaks prompted the government to impose.
Information for this article was contributed by Jim Heintz and staff of The Associated Press.
Medical workers walk to an ambulance at a hospital in Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. Daily new coronavirus infections in Russia have reached an all-time high and authorities are blaming the highly contagious omicron variant, which they expect to soon dominate the country's outbreak. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus ride a subway car in an underground in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. Daily new coronavirus infections in Russia have reached an all-time high and authorities are blaming the highly contagious omicron variant, which they expect to soon dominate the country's outbreak. Record numbers of new cases were reported in Moscow and in St. Petersburg, where health officials on Friday limited elective outpatient care.(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
A patient suspected of having coronavirus walks follows a medical worker to a hospital in Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. Daily new coronavirus infections in Russia have reached an all-time high and authorities are blaming the highly contagious omicron variant, which they expect to soon dominate the country's outbreak. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Medical workers carry a patient suspected of having coronavirus on a stretcher at a hospital in Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. Daily new coronavirus infections in Russia have reached an all-time high and authorities are blaming the highly contagious omicron variant, which they expect to soon dominate the country's outbreak. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)