Another person diagnosed with Covid-19 has died in Moscow, bringing the overall death toll in Russia to three people. 196 new cases were announced on Friday, which means the nationwide number of infected now stands at 1,036.

The latest victim was a 70-year-old woman with a number of underlying conditions. She had suffered from diabetes for 20 years and also had terminal renal failure and other diseases.

The two other Russian deaths, announced on Wednesday, also involved elderly patients, aged 88 and 73 respectively. Last week, a 79-year-old woman was initially thought to have succumbed to coronavirus, but a post-mortem showed that a blood clot was the actual cause.

Forty-five people in Russia are known to have recovered from Covid-19, according to officials.

In recent days, Russia has stepped up efforts to stem the spread of the highly contagious disease, announcing next week as a paid holiday, banning international passenger flights and closing restaurants, parks, cinemas and other establishments where large groups of people can gather, except essential ones.

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Since the outbreak in China in December, the coronavirus has spread to 202 countries, killing more than 24,000 people and infecting over half a million. Italy, where 8,165 have died, leads in the number of the fatalities, while the US has the most Covid-19 cases, at over 85,000.

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