MOSCOW — Russia now ranks second in the world surpassing Spain in the number of officially confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the latest figures.

The number of infected people in Russia has reached 232,243, as compared is 227,436 in Spain.

Russia is currently just behind the United States in the number of infected cases in the world. In just a few weeks it has overtaken Spain, Italy, and United Kingdom who currently have over 200,000 cases.

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has increased by 10,899 over the last 24 hours. A total of 43,512 recoveries have been reported, 2,116 people have died, Russia’s anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Tuesday.

Russia has far fewer deaths as compared to European nations including the US where thousands have lost their lives. The country reported 107 new deaths on Tuesday with the total death toll climbing to 2,116.

The death toll in the United States has crossed over 80,000 with Spain recording over 26,000 fatalities, and Italy has already reported over 30,000 deaths so far.

Despite the rising cases of infection, President Vladimir Putin on Monday had announced the lifting of the "non-working" period which was in place for over a month with employees in the construction industry allowed to work.

However, the rising number of infection cases has led to a major concern among authorities with the country unable to check it.

The easing of the stay-at-home orders in Russia is being widely seen as a measure to kick-start the economy with oil prices at a record low which has already hurt the economy as the country grapples with the virus. — Agencies