MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. COVID-19 is gradually turning into a seasonal virus and therefore it’s highly likely that people will have to receive the vaccine on a regular basis, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said in an interview with a TASS project on occasion of the pandemic anniversary.
"Certainly, when we take off masks <...> and with 60% of vaccinated population and provided that our citizens comply with restrictions during this period and that coronavirus is turning into a seasonal virus, and that means that it’s highly likely that we will get vaccinated on a regular basis," Golikova said.
According to the deputy prime minister, neither the world nor Russia have enough experience in terms of understanding on how long the immune protection will last. "Certainly, everyone now is relaxed and believes that COVID-19 is going away and the situation is better now, but the virus is not going anywhere yet and we should protect ourselves and our family members," Golikova stressed.
Earlier, Golikova told TASS that herd immunity to coronavirus in Russia would be achieved by August 2021 if vaccination remained at the same pace. But this date could be moved to an earlier date if the pace was accelerated.