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Russia’s COVID rates remain on the rise, peak still ahead — expert

Less than 1.5% of Russia’s population have experienced the disease, while mass vaccination is still absent, the expert noted

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. Russia's newly-identified COVID-19 cases remain on the rise, so it is too early to say the pandemic is past its peak, the deputy director for science at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology under the consumer rights watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, Alexander Gorelov, has told TASS.

"Currently the growth phase is continuing. Less than 1.5% of Russia’s population have experienced the disease, while mass vaccination is still absent. For this reason, it is too early to say the pandemic is past its peak. For the time being the coronavirus pandemic is continuing," he said.

Gorelov said the process is wave-like, with insignificant oscillations in the number of newly identified cases. The use of individual protection items, social distancing and preventive vaccination play a role.

"It is hard to expect stabilization and a downtrend before massive vaccination has been introduced, ideally for more than 95% of the population, or at least 70%-75%. Only in this case one can expect that the situation will get stable and a decline will begin. The availability of vaccines and their introduction into the vaccination schedule will allow for eradicating the infection faster," he said.