MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. An inspection of effectiveness of vaccines against the coronavirus may be needed in case of serious mutations of the pathogen, Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry that developed the Sputnik V vaccine Alexander Gintsburg said on Monday.

According to him, currently "point mutations" of the virus are involved which should not significantly influence the effectiveness of preparations since they use the entire so-called S-protein and not its separate parts.

"If the mutations continue to accumulate in this strain and the S-protein, this will be the reason to think deeper about the necessity to conduct additional experiments, obtain a serum from our inoculated residents and test it for virus neutralizing properties to that new strain that emerged in Great Britain or that will emerge in our country," he said in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel.

He also noted that constant monitoring of strain mutations is an "attribute of a long-term policy in protecting our population."