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Omicron situation in Moscow improving, says WHO envoy to Russia

Melita Vujnovic pointed out that the Omicron strain is moving from the West to the East

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. The epidemiological situation in Moscow related to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus strain is beginning to improve, WHO Special Representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic told TASS in an interview.

"We see that in Moscow the trend is improving. But we are not over it (the wave of infections - TASS) yet. So we shouldn't say prematurely that it's already gone. It is not over, but the trend is that the situation in Moscow is changing for the better," she said.

Vujnovic pointed out that the Omicron strain is moving from the West to the East. "Figures in the last two weeks show that six countries in the eastern part of the European region, mostly CIS countries, have seen the number of infections double. But whether it happens in 20 to 25 days or takes longer is all up to the country," the WHO representative explained.

According to her, in the case of Russia, it is very difficult to say how long it will take for the virus to spread due to the country’s size. "You also have to take into account the modeling and forecasts that national epidemiological and national health experts make because they have better data," Vujnovic concluded.

According to TASS’ calculations based on the information from the federal operational headquarters for the fight against coronavirus, the number of cases recorded in Russia last week has declined after five weeks of continuous increases.