MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Isolated cases of Delta Plus, a COVID-19 variant, have been confirmed in Russia, Alexander Gorelov, deputy director of the Russian sanitary watchdog’s Central Research Institute of Epidemiology and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told TASS.

"In Russia, this is a classic Indian [Delta] strain, and isolated cases have been described as officially recorded Delta Plus [cases]," the expert said in an interview.

According to Gorelov, Russia is keeping the spread of many respiratory viruses, including coronavirus, under control.

Earlier, Russia’s chief sanitary doctor and Head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova, said the first Delta Plus infection had been recorded in Russia. The individual - a female patient - had mild symptoms.

The new coronavirus variant, officially labeled Delta SARS-CoV-2, was first recorded in India last October. Earlier, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences reported that this variant could infect even people, who had received the Covaxin and Covishield vaccines used in India. The variant ‘Delta Plus’ is believed to be even more contagious.