January 2022 at the earliest: WHO has announced the timing of the Sputnik V vaccine inspection in Russia

Experts from the World Health Organization will visit Russia to evaluate the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine no earlier than January 2022, the WHO press service reported.

Representatives of the World Health Organization and the Russian Direct Investment Fund met at the end of November to discuss the need for additional data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

RDIF has pledged to submit a “detailed data submission roadmap” to speed up the drug evaluation procedure.

“Submission of data is expected by the end of December 2021.

You cannot wait for an inspection before the data is presented and evaluated, "- quotes the text of the message RIA Novosti.

Earlier, the general director of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, in an interview with the Argentinean edition of La Nacion, said that WHO is delaying the recognition of Sputnik V due to bureaucratic reasons.

At the same time, the head of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Hans Kluge, reported that the Russian side should send additional data on the vaccine to WHO by the end of 2021.

COVID-19 statistics in Russia

Over the past day, 32,974 new cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in Russia.

From complications that developed against the background of COVID-19 and concomitant diseases, 1,215 people died.

In total, 9,769,011 cases of coronavirus have been identified in the country since the start of the pandemic.

Died 280,072 patients.

The largest number of new episodes of the disease was recorded in Moscow - 3356, in St. Petersburg - 2528, Moscow region - 2075, Samara region - 887, Krasnodar Territory - 840. In other regions, less than 800 cases were recorded per day.

Along with this, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova named five regions with poor indicators of herd immunity.

“The lowest indicators of herd immunity are in the Republic of Dagestan (24.9%), the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (36.2%), the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (36.2%), the Stavropol Territory (36.2%), the Vladimir Region (39 , 3%), ”she said.

At the same time, it was previously reported that Sevastopol became the first constituent entity of the Russian Federation to reach the level of collective immunity established by the government of 80%.

In addition, the level above 72% was demonstrated by the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Tyva, Karelia, St. Petersburg, the Moscow Region, and Moscow.

The general level of herd immunity in the Russian Federation is 53.7%.

Thus, 72,078,412 people were vaccinated with the first component of the vaccine, and 63,961,690 Russians received the full course of vaccination.

The situation with the omicron strain

The press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the presidential administration has not yet made decisions on strengthening the security measures of Vladimir Putin and imposing restrictions on Kremlin employees against the backdrop of the possible appearance of the omicron coronavirus strain in the country, TASS reports.

Along with this, Peskov pointed out that the issue of strengthening anti-corruption measures in the event that the appearance of the omicron strain is confirmed on the territory of the Russian Federation is not the prerogative of the Kremlin.

On December 3, Rospotrebnadzor reported that two passengers returning by private flight from South Africa had a positive PCR test for coronavirus, the strain is still being established.

Moreover, both citizens were hospitalized.

At the same time, from December 2, a 14-day quarantine was introduced in the Russian Federation for citizens returning from South Africa and countries that border this state on the African continent.

This decision was made because of the very high risks associated with the omicron strain.

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At the same time, a virologist, doctor of medical sciences, professor, chief employee of the National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after V.I.

N.F.

Gamalei Anatoly Altstein said that information about the omicron genome makes it possible to predict that the disease with this pathogen will proceed in a milder form until it “gives the impression of a virus with terrible consequences”.

“This variant of the virus has such an interesting feature: it has 32 mutations in the main protein, it most likely has an unstable genome, it mutates easily.

If he has an unstable genome, then in the first place everything that leads to a serious illness will be suppressed.

We already see: a hundred people have been found, all have a mild illness, no one has died, ”he said on the air of Sputnik radio.

At the same time, the virologist believes that the spread of omicron may lead to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If the mortality rate of the coronavirus is comparable to the flu, then we will already assume that the pandemic is over.

The pandemic has a chance to end with the omicron, Altstein added.