Decrease by 31.9%: 12,653 people with coronavirus were hospitalized in Russia per day

Over the past day in Russia, 12,653 people with coronavirus infection were hospitalized - the figure decreased by 31.9% compared to the previous day.

In total, over the past 24 hours, 197,949 new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the country, of which the largest number are in St. Petersburg (20,136), Moscow (12,496) and the Moscow Region (7349).

During this time, 101,568 patients have fully recovered, 706 people have died.

The total number of cases of coronavirus registered in Russia has reached 14,133,509. The Omicron strain has already been recorded in 84 regions of the country. 

According to the Moscow operational headquarters for monitoring the situation with coronavirus, 1,047 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized in the capital per day.

“649 people are on mechanical ventilation,” the report says.

At the same time, Dmitry Lisovets, chairman of the St. Petersburg Health Committee, announced that the peak of the fifth wave of coronavirus in the city had been overcome.

“In St. Petersburg, there is a slowdown in the growth of the epidemic process... For the first time in recent weeks, the number of people under medical supervision, that is, at the outpatient stage and in hospitals, is decreasing... This allows us to count on the fact that the peak of the fifth wave of the pandemic has been overcome,” Lisovets wrote on his page in VKontakte.

Deputy Director for Research of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Gorelov said that in order to reduce the rise in the incidence of the Omicron strain in Russia, it is necessary that collective immunity to this variant of the virus reaches 90%.

The specialist added that a significant burden on the healthcare system remains in the country.

“Yes, 95% can receive outpatient treatment, but 5% of 200 thousand (approximate number of daily COVID-19 cases detected. -

) are not.

This figure is significant, it still indicates that there is a significant load not only on the outpatient link, but also on hospitals, ”Gorelov noted.

In turn, Andrei Fisenko, director of the National Medical Research Center for Children's Health of the Ministry of Health of Russia, noted that with the advent of the omicron strain, infected children began to experience a whole range of symptoms of the disease.

"Omicron" is highly contagious.

Children today become infected with it much more often than other strains of a new coronavirus infection.

And if earlier we noted the asymptomatic course of COVID-19 in children, now we are seeing a whole symptom complex: high body temperature, weakness, headache, runny nose, cough, sore throat and sore throat, often diarrhea and in some cases a rash, ”explained he.

Fisenko added that Omicron affects the upper respiratory tract and more often causes bronchitis, which, if not properly treated, can lead to complications.

He stressed that the main protection against the disease remains the observance of preventive measures and timely vaccination and revaccination. 

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“The safety and health of children depends on how responsibly adults approach the observance of all these simple measures,” the specialist noted.

Immunologist Irina Yartseva, in an interview with Sputnik radio, recommended that citizens independently do a coronavirus test if they feel unwell, noting that the wave of spread of the omicron strain is far from over, and anyone can be a potential carrier of the infection. 

“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 during the trip, you should test yourself, ”the doctor urged.

At the same time, she warned that the test must be done correctly, otherwise the procedure loses its meaning.

“In self-testing, many people don't put the swab deep enough into their noses.

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, ”explained Yartseva.

At the same time, Andrey Isaev, Director General of the Scientific Center for Molecular Genetic Research DNKOM, said that infection with the omicron strain can lead to severe damage to the nervous system.

He also called for revaccination against COVID-19.

“This provides protection against Omicron and coronavirus in general for at least the first two to three months after the introduction of a booster dose,” Isaev explained.

The day before, the headquarters for combating the spread of coronavirus also reported that Russia is resuming international flights from five cities from February 21.

“A decision was made to resume flights from the international airports of Nizhnevartovsk, Stavropol, Khanty-Mansiysk, Yakutsk and Abakan from February 21 to open destinations with a frequency determined for other points in Russia, from which international air traffic has been resumed, taking into account compliance with the necessary sanitary and epidemiological requirements” , the message says.

Before flying, citizens were advised to get vaccinated against coronavirus.