MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Russian citizens with the Omicron strain of coronavirus have minor symptoms of infection or do not have them at all, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told TASS on Monday, adding that such patients receive the least medical treatment.

"I’d like to say that among the [Omicron] cases there are people who already have immunity to the coronavirus strain. Many of them. Against this background, the illness is either asymptomatic or with minor clinical manifestations. Up to now, we do not observe any threat to life or any aggravation of the condition. The situation is stable, people are currently receiving the least medical treatment," he said in an interview with Nailya Asker-zade on the Rossiya-1 TV channel’s Vesti program on Monday.

Murashko noted that Russian scientists have been discussing with colleagues from South Africa their experience with the new strain. "Our scientists meet in videoconferences, we discuss further steps of interaction to explore in detail and recognize the features. Our laboratories have been working to detect the features of this virus, including the usage of laboratory tests," he concluded.

On Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova reported that the new Omicron strain had been confirmed in 16 out of 177 people who arrived in Russia from South Africa.

On November 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the B.1.1.529 variant identified in South Africa as a "Variant of Concern" and assigned it the Greek letter Omicron. In its statement, the WHO noted that "this variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning." The epicenter of the spread of the Omicron strain is southern Africa. The highest number of those infected with it has been detected in South Africa. The new strain has already been recorded in 63 countries, including Russia.