MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. Russians should brace for an increase in COVID-19 cases in October, Vitaly Zverev, the research director at the Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, has told TASS.

"A growth in cases will certainly take place this fall, because the coronavirus has not disappeared. It keeps circulating in the human population, and there is nothing we can do about it," he said.

Zverev added that all respiratory diseases surge during the period of fall and winter.

"Probably, a surge in cases should be expected approximately in October," he said.

Commenting on the new EG.5 subvariant of the coronavirus, also known as Eris, the expert said that there was "no need to be particularly concerned about it." In his words, there is not much difference between Eris and previous variants of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus.

According to the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), a total of 17 cases, caused by the Eris subvariant, were registered in Russia between April and August.