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Coronavirus pandemic

Decisions on anti-Omicron-strain restrictions depend on government center - Kremlin

On November 26, the WHO marked the coronavirus strain B.1.1.529, discovered in southern Africa, with the Greek letter omicron

MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. The imposition of additional restrictions in order to prevent the spread of the Omicron coronavirus strain in Russia will depend on the decision of the Cabinet operational crisis center, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

"This would depend on recommendations from the governmental crisis center; this is where main approaches are being defined," he said.

On November 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) marked the coronavirus strain B.1.1.529, discovered in southern Africa, with the Greek letter omicron. This variant features a large number of mutations, many of them found concerning by WHO. Several mutations can make it harder for antibodies to neutralize this virus, which may potentially affect the efficiency of vaccines. Besides, the Omicron strain potentially can spread faster than other ones.

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