Anatoly Altstein, a virologist, professor at the Gamaleya Center, spoke about the timing of the appearance of a new COVID-19 strain in Russia. About it informs “Secret”.
The expert admitted that the omicron strain of the coronavirus will come to the country in the coming months. At the same time, he noted that the new variant of the virus has not yet been studied, since it was discovered only on November 11.
“It is not yet clear how the antibodies caused by modern vaccines act on him. Time will also tell whether it will spread. But if it turns out to be as epidemic as the delta strain, no authorities will be able to keep track of it, ”Altstein said.
He explained that the omicron strain has raised concerns due to the large number of mutations in the spike protein gene, but it cannot yet be determined if this makes it more infectious. The virologist urged not to panic ahead of time, but at the same time emphasized that Russia needs to prepare for the emergence of this strain and create the basis for new vaccine options.
Earlier, the Gamaleya Center said that the need to manufacture a new version of the Sputnik V vaccine will appear only if the effectiveness of the existing drug decreases by 8-10 times. It will be possible to talk about this substantively only after studying the strain from South Africa, said the director of the center, Alexander Gintsburg.
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