Russia's daily coronavirus cases hit record high

FILE PHOTO: Medical specialists walk outside a hospital for patients infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Russia reported 197,076 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a record daily high, as the Omicron variant, which accounted for 70% of detected infections, continued to spread across the country.

Russia also recorded 701 deaths in the past 24 hours, the government's coronavirus task force said.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov, writing by Alexander Marrow, editing by Jason Neely)