All news

Russian specialists study data on new COVID-19 strain in UK, Health Ministry says

Earlier, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported that Russia is suspending the air service with Great Britain beginning on December 22 for a week due to the new coronavirus strain detected there

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Russian specialists maintain contacts with their foreign colleagues in studying a new coronavirus strain detected in the UK, the press service of the Russian Healthcare Ministry told journalists on Monday.

"The information on a possible new strain of the coronavirus detected in Great Britain is being checked by specialists who are in contact with foreign colleagues, including the World Health Organization," the statement said.

Earlier, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported that Russia is suspending the air service with Great Britain beginning on December 22 for a week due to the new coronavirus strain detected there. "The decision to temporarily halt the air service with Great Britain was made in order to protect the health of Russians," the Healthcare Ministry added.

On December 14, Britain’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said British scientists had identified a new coronavirus strain that might be to blame for high infection rates in southeastern England. According to him, a preliminary analysis indicated that this newly detected virus strain was spreading faster than any of the known strains. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at an emergency news conference on Saturday announced that, according to the current findings, the new strain might be 70% more contagious, adding that British experts had not yet found any proof that the mutated virus was fraught with a greater risk of lethal outcome.

Earlier, the total number of fatalities due to the coronavirus infection in the UK surpassed 67,000 which is the second highest indicator in Europe after Italy. The number of detected cases of the infection in the country has surpassed 2.04 mln.