Gamaleya Center has not yet received a sample of the new COVID-19 strain

According to RIA Novosti, Gunzburg noted that in this regard, it is not yet possible to test the effectiveness of the Sputnik V vaccine against this variant of COVID-19.

“We do not yet have a strain of a new variant of the virus.

The efficacy of a vaccine can only be determined experimentally, and that just requires a strain, ”he said.

Earlier, Gunzburg spoke about the conditions for starting the development of a new version of "Sputnik V".

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda radio, Kirill Masliev, Ph.D., Head of Preventive Medicine at EMC, Founder of the Heroi Foundation for Support of Medical Workers, announced the unpredictable future of the pandemic.

On November 25, it was reported that scientists have identified a new strain of coronavirus in Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong, which could potentially become the most dangerous variant of the coronavirus.

It was named B.1.1.529 and has an “incredibly high” number of mutations.