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More than 1,000 cases of new coronavirus strains detected in Russia, says watchdog chief

The virus variants that require the most attention, according to the WHO’s recommendations, are the British, Indian and South African strains

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

ST. PETRSBURG, June 3. /TASS/. Russia has recorded over 1,000 cases of new coronavirus strains, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova said at a joint briefing of the watchdog and the World Health Organization (WHO), held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday.

"We have so far detected over 1,000 isolates. The virus variants that require the most attention, according to the WHO’s recommendations, are the British, Indian and South African strains. The situation is as follows, the British strain accounts for 70% out of the 1,068 isolates, the Indian one accounts for 24% and six percent are linked to the South African strain," she specified.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, is running from June 2-5. Among the discussion platforms included are one on SMEs, along with other events dubbed "Project Healthy Life" and "Drug Security," as well as the SPIEF Junior special youth session that will be held as part of the St. Petersburg forum. The SPIEF 2021 event is taking place in-person with all health safety measures in place. TASS is the forum’s information partner and the official photo hosting agency.

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