One case involved a 57-year-old from the town of Buzuluk, local health officials said, as cited by Russian media. Authorities say that the victim caught the virus after traveling through Europe by car. He was hospitalized, along with six family members, after it was discovered that he had Covid-19. Experts are still determining if the victim succumbed to the respiratory illness, as he had reportedly suffered from other "chronic diseases."

Hours later, St. Petersburg disclosed that it had registered its first fatality involving a coronavirus patient. The city's governor, Alexander Beglov, said that an autopsy was being performed to determine the cause of death.

Russia registered its fourth fatal coronavirus case on Friday, after a 56-year-old cancer survivor with one lung succumbed to the illness in Moscow.

Officials announced 228 new infections on Saturday, bringing the country's total to 1,264.

The Russian government has ordered a shutdown of all restaurants, cafes, and shops – except essential businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies – across the country between March 28 and April 5.

Cases worldwide have reached nearly 600,000, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University, with deaths totaling more than 27,000.

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