“I am aware that two people have been found with a new South African strain, but this should not cause any panic,” Interfax quotes him.
At the same time, Starodubov noted the need to preserve all existing precautions.
The vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences added that scientists are studying the omicron strain.
He noted that according to the data available to experts, the new strain is "really infectious, but causes milder forms of the disease."
“No special action is needed now with regard to precaution and safety,” Starodubov said.
Earlier it was reported that two Russians who returned from South Africa had an omicron strain of coronavirus.