Russia's daily COVID-19 death toll hovers near all-time high

The government coronavirus task force also said it hadrecorded 29,409 new cases in the last 24 hours, an increase from 28,647 cases on Sunday.

Moscow, which reported 5,002 cases on Monday, said it was launching free "express" antibody-based tests for COVID-19 at a number of locations including shopping malls in an attempt to avert a new wave of restrictions.

The number of people hospitalised over the last two weeks in the capital has doubled in comparison with the previous fortnight, the Interfax news agency quoted the city's COVID-19 task force as saying.