Russia has been suffering from a sharp surge of coronavirus cases in the past month, and over 25,000 new cases were confirmed on Sunday, the largest number since January.

Despite the high coronavirus rate and the fact that vaccines became available in Russia last year, the vaccination rate is low, with only about 18 million of its 144 million people vaccinated.

Russian Chief Rabbi Rav Berel Lazar has called for all Jews in the country to be vaccinated with the Sputnik vaccine, which is free for all Russian citizens, Collive reported.

In a letter sent to hundreds of Jewish communities across the country, Rav Lazar wrote (as translated by Collive): “Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic has recently been on the rise again, and there are many families who got sick. Firstly, I want to wish them all a speedy recovery, and we pray for them and hope that everyone will be able to overcome the disease. I appeal to you with a very important request – get vaccinated against COVID, as halacha demands of us to guard our health in every way.”

He added: “It should be remembered that the virus is very dangerous not only for the elderly but also for people with chronic diseases. For many, the disease passes mildly and they are almost asymptomatic, but doctors warn that even in these cases there may be various after-effects and complications.

“Most importantly, keep in mind that asymptomatic patients can still infect others. Is there anyone among us who is willing to take such a responsibility for the health of their family and environment? I would like to announce that we have spoken to many doctors in Russia and abroad, and they all say unanimously that the vaccine is completely safe, and those who have not yet been vaccinated should hurry to do so soon.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)