MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Russia’s existing vaccines are effective against a new coronavirus subvariant called XBB.1.16 (Arcturus), Senior Researcher at the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology Anatoly Altshtein told TASS on Thursday.

"Coronavirus variants certainly differ from each other and their response to vaccines keeps reducing. However, the existing vaccines protect against severe course and death, so we will need to use them," he pointed out.

The expert also said that the Gamaleya Center was working on a new coronavirus vaccine that would be more effective against the Omicron strain. "What has been circulating in the world for the past 16 months is the Omicron strain as its subvariants are replacing one another. This strain has a lower mortality rate and causes milder forms of the disease but it is very contagious," Altshtein explained.

According to the expert, the vaccine is almost ready. "The vaccine’s part aimed at targeting the ‘Wuhan’ virus is being replaced with another one, which will fight Omicron," he noted.

Head of Russia’s sanitary watchdog Anna Popova said earlier that the Arcturus subvariant was highly contagious and capable of circumventing the previously developed immunity, and it caused the symptoms of an acute respiratory viral infection. Russia has so far detected four Arcturus cases. Popova emphasized that the number of new coronavirus cases could rise by the end of May.