MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. All existing vaccines will also work against the so-called British strain of the coronavirus, Russia’s former chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko, currently first deputy chairman of the State Duma (lower house) Committee on Education and Science, said.

He also noted that it is incorrect to call this subtype of the coronavirus the British strain. "Saying novel British strain of the coronavirus is incorrect. We described strains of the coronavirus <...>, this century, beginning in 2002, we have three new strains - SARS, MERS and 'corona.' The strain is the one that surmounted the interspecies barrier and spread to human population from a natural hotspot. As for this British virus, it is the same COVID-19, the same virus, the only thing is that a mutation occurred," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.

According to the former top sanitary doctor, "it is possible to say in advance that all these vaccines that were invented for previous subtypes, will work for this [British] strain." This is explained by the fact that even after the mutation the structure of the virus lacks a "strong drift."

"It is not typical of this type of viruses to change like a flu strain," he emphasized noting that, for example, the H1N1 flu virus tends to have sharp mutation "drifts" which allow easily surmounting the immune barrier.

The tough epidemiological situation began to unfold in the UK last December due to the spread of a mutated strain of the coronavirus, which, according to preliminary expert estimates, may be up to 70% more contagious while its lethality may be 30% higher. Since January 4, a nationwide quarantine has been in effect which will be gradually relaxed starting on March 8.