MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. The coronavirus pandemic in Russia may peter out in the summer of 2021 and the virus itself will turn into a seasonal disease, Director of Kazan Federal University’s Research Clinical Center for Precision and Regenerative Medicine Albert Rizvanov, who heads a research group developing coronavirus testing systems and vaccines, told TASS on Wednesday.
According to him, the coronavirus will stop spreading largely because of vaccination and the immunity that Russians are gaining after recovering from the infection.
"There are seasonal diseases that usually die out in late spring and early summer. I think that the coronavirus will stop spreading in Russia this summer. Apparently, the novel coronavirus will become one of the seasonal pathogens causing respiratory illnesses. It’s very likely that the inoculation against SarS-CoV-2 will become part of the seasonal vaccination schedule along with the flu shot," Rizvanov pointed out.
The researcher believes that easy access to coronavirus vaccines will prevent large-scale outbreaks in the future. However, he did not rule out seasonal spikes in infections in the fall and winter, as well as in the years to come.