MOSCOW, July 9. /TASS/. No cases of the Epsilon variant of the coronavirus that was first identified in California have been confirmed in Russia, Anna Popova, chief of Russia’s sanitary watchdog, said on Friday.
"So far, the Epsilon variant of the virus has not been identified in Russia. We use data published by our colleagues abroad and, so far, they see no serious risks, but each mutation is the focus of many scientists across the world and, of course, in Russia," she said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.
Virus mutation is a natural process, as once it stops changing, it will cease to exist, she explained. "More mutations will emerge, and they will have different names. This concerns the Moscow variants, for example, their epidemiological significance, possible impacts on the population, on the progress of the disease or replication rate. These are the most important things we want to know about the new virus," she added.