The general practitioner, immunologist Irina Yartseva on Sunday, February 13, recommended, due to the high incidence of COVID-19 against the backdrop of the spread of the Omicron strain, to conduct self-testing for coronavirus infection.
The specialist emphasized that due to the extreme contagiousness of Omicron, even an asymptomatic carrier of this variant can become a source of infection for many people. Therefore, she noted, with any sign of a cold or malaise, you should take a PCR test, and if this is not possible, then carry express tests with you.
“In our time, if a person is traveling somewhere, even if the trip is just out of town, then it is worth having express tests for COVID-19 with you. Outside the city, it may not be possible to quickly go to the laboratory and take a PCR test. If you feel bad on a trip, you should test yourself, ”the radio quoted her as saying. Sputnik.
According to Yartseva, it is very important to correctly collect the material.
“Testing for COVID-19 is quite an unpleasant procedure. When self-testing, many people do not insert the swab deep enough into the nose (a wand for taking a swab – Ed.). Therefore, there may be non-informative material. If a person takes a swab only from the vestibule of the nose, then the concentration of the virus there may be small and the test will not show it, ”the immunologist explained.
The doctor warned that in case of a positive result of rapid testing, one should self-isolate and consult a doctor.
Earlier, on February 11, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova announced a decrease in the level of collective immunity in Russia over the week from 64.1% to 61.9%. According to her, this happened due to the loss of body protection in those who were initially vaccinated and who recovered from COVID-19 more than six months ago. She also clarified that in Moscow the level of herd immunity to coronavirus has decreased to 59.5%, and in the Moscow region – to 66.5%.
On February 12, the operational headquarters for the fight against infection reported the detection of 203,766 cases of coronavirus over the past day. 18,597 patients were admitted to hospitals with COVID-19.
A large-scale vaccination campaign continues in Russia. Citizens can get vaccinated for free. Six coronavirus drugs have been registered in the country: Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, EpiVacCorona, KoviVac, EpiVacCorona-N, and the Sputnik M vaccine for adolescents.
All relevant information on the situation with coronavirus is available on the websites stopcoronavirus.rf and access to all.rf, as well as the hashtag #WeTogether. Coronavirus hotline: 8 (800) 2000-112
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