"Now the second wave - it is highly likely to generate a third wave, again associated with food, which we will face in 2022, especially in the second half of the year," RIA Novosti quotes Belousov.
According to Rosstat, annual inflation in Russia accelerated to 8.4% in November against 8.13% in October.
The head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina allowed inflation to rise above the regulator's forecasts for the year.