MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. Russia is unlikely to see a zero incidence rate of COVID-19 since it is expected to become a seasonal infection and won’t go anywhere, an expert at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, Natalya Pshenichnaya, told TASS.
"It is not ruled out that we won’t reach zero coronavirus incidence rates. Like with other acute respiratory viral infections, if COVID-19 keeps circulating as an endemic seasonal infection, it won’t disappear forever after losing its pandemic potential," said Pshenichnaya, who is deputy director for clinical and analytical work at the research institute.
In this case, vaccination will help prevent active circulation of the virus among the population, according to the expert. "But it is early to say anything in particular on that score now," she stressed.
According to the expert, if a large number of Russians develop antibodies, the coronavirus could circulate as seasonal diseases. "Usually, people contract these diseases in childhood and adults have antibodies or an immunological memory for them what results in light cases of disease or asymptomatic cases of infection. Late this year we will be able to say something certain about this," she said.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic nearly 103 mln people have contracted the virus and over 2.2 mln have died worldwide. To date, 3,868,087 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 3,318,173 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 73,619 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.