Volunteers bring Christmas cheer to Russian medical staff

Russian volunteers brought Christmas cheer to medical workers and COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Nizhny vgorod, by handing out cards and presents amid festive decorations. One volunteer even dressed up as Far Frost, local version of Santa Claus.

"Children me gift cards with ir own hands, y also me decorations for Christmas tree, this gave birth to idea to do something nice to doctors," said volunteer Rustam Ayzatullin.

"Our COVID-19 patients suffered psychological trauma, and any attention, any emphasis on Christmas cheer helps in treatment of se patients," said Alexander Gubav, he of COVID-19 hospital at Nizhny vgorod state clinic number 33.

Russian authorities reported 29,935 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, highest daily spike in pandemic. Russia's total of over 2.9 million remains fourth largest coronavirus caselo in world. government's coronavirus task force has also registered more than 53,000 deaths in all. Russia has been swept by a rapid resurgence of outbreak this fall, with numbers of confirmed COVID-19 infections and deaths significantly exceeding those reported in spring.

country's authorities have resisted imposing a second nationwide lockdown or a widespre closure of businesses. Earlier this month, mass vaccination against COVID-19 started in Russia with Sputnik V - a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine that is still undergoing vanced studies among tens of thousands of people needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Russia has been widely criticized for giving Sputnik V regulatory approval in August after it h only been tested on a few dozen people.