ST. PETERSBURG, June 5. /TASS/. The third wave of coronavirus is not expected in Russia, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov said at a meeting with participants of the International Youth Economic Forum and SPIEF Junior at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Saturday.

"No, to be honest," Belousov said when asked whether a third wave of COVID-19 was to hit Russia.

"You can see what is happening on the schedule right now. You can call it a wave, but it is not a wave, it is a local story. Everything will depend on vaccination rates," he added.

About SPIEF

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is held on June 2-5. The forum, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, is titled ‘Together Again — Economy of a New Reality’. It embraces the SME Forum, the Healthy Life and Drug Security Forums along with the SPIEF Junior sessions. SPIEF-2021 is held in person in strict accordance with health and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. TASS is the official information partner and the photo hosting agency of SPIEF-2021.