MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Assumptions that the Omicron coronavirus strain could have been artificially created to overcome the pandemic are not scientifically grounded, WHO Special Representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic told TASS in an interview.

Commenting on expert speculation that the Omicron strain could have been created specifically to overcome the pandemic, the specialist recalled that previously "there was a lot of speculation even about COVID-19 itself."

"I doubt very much that this expert opinion was based on concrete data," Vujnovic stressed, "There's a lot of scientific research going on. But there is no indication that anyone did anything artificially. This is exactly what science is doing now to create a vaccine that would protect from the virus. But creating a virus that would move around and move around so freely… No scientist is seriously considering that. It's more on the level of myth or urban legends, which always arise when something complicated is going on in the world. But there's no scientific proof for it."

Vujnovic pointed out that last October, the WHO created a strategic group (Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins on Novel Pathogens - SAGO) of experts from around the world to look into the origin and evolution of the virus itself. "This strategic group has had seven meetings so far, all possibilities are being discussed," she added.