Russia doubles death toll amid scrutiny from WHO

Russia's coronavirus death toll for April more than doubled shortly after the World Health Organization questioned how the country simultaneously has the world's third-highest number of cases and such a low mortality rate, The Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: Russia's mortality rates have come under growing scrutiny as the country's coronavirus case count continues to rise. Russian health care workers previously told the Post their hospitals are overwhelmed and lack resources they need. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin says the government has a firm grasp on the situation.

The state of play: Russia's state statistic service on Saturday reported 8,706 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours. The service originally reported there were 1,145 coronavirus-related deaths in April, but now says there were 2,712 deaths.

• Johns Hopkins University reports there have been over 6,800 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic started.
• There are over 520,000 confirmed cases.

Go deeper: Russia goes after coronavirus in latest health misinformation push