The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added Russia to its highest travel risk category for COVID-19 on Monday, following a surge in new positive coronavirus cases. The CDC designated Russia as a Level 4 rating following reports that the nation has reached more than 500 positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people for the past four consecutive weeks. Russia also hit a record of 1,163 COVID-19 deaths on Friday, according to The Associated Press. “Avoid travel to Russia. If you must travel to Russia, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel,” the CDC’s website says regarding Level 4 countries. “Because of the current situation in Russia, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants,” it added. Belgium, Burkina Faso, and Slovakia were also added to the list of Level 4 nations on Monday. In addition to these four nations, a total of nearly …