MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The Vector State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing conducts an in-depth study of a ‘British’ strain of the coronavirus, including animal models, General Director of the Center Rinat Maksyutov said on Friday.
"Currently we have already started an in-depth study of this variant of the British strain, both on cell culture and on various animal models. The results will be obtained in the near future," he said at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova and Russia’s top sanitary doctor Anna Popova.
According to the scientist, all registered PCR tests developed by centers of the sanitary watchdog efficiently detect the British strain.
"It was demonstrated that all registered PCR kits of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, by the Pasteur Institute, by the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, by Vector, they efficiently detect this British strain. And the replacements and deletions detected in this British strain do not affect in any way the effectiveness of the EpiVacCorona vaccine," he added.
Reports of the British strain appeared in mid-December. Due to this, many countries suspended air service with the UK, including Russia which on January 12 extended flight suspension through February 1. One case of the British strain was detected in Russia.