"(Omicron) is less dangerous ... He has fewer deaths, easier flow," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
Zhemchugov noted that the virus is evolving and is trying to hide from immunity.
He also stated that it is not profitable for the virus to survive for everyone to die.
Earlier, the head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, during a meeting of the coordinating council for combating COVID-19, said that the omicron strain could potentially be brought to Russia from almost 50 countries.
Infectious disease doctor Nikolay Malyshev, MD, in an interview with Nation News, recalled the importance of adhering to preventive measures against the background of detecting omicron cases.