MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. A new coronavirus strain, BA.2.86 or Pirola, is more contagious compared to previous variants, the press service for the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing reported.

"The new Pirola (BA 2.86) variant of the coronavirus has a number of additional mutations compared to previously identified Omicron variants, and it is more infectious than its predecessors," the statement said.

Russia has developed tests to detect Pirola, as well as drugs to effectively treat the disease caused by this genovariant, the sanitary watchdog added.

"The newest vaccines, created specifically for the Omicron variant, are effective in reducing severe forms of the disease and the number of hospitalizations. The first results of laboratory studies conducted in China and Sweden suggest that this variant may not be as contagious or as capable of evading immune protection as previously claimed by some scientists and is not seen as the 'second coming' of Omicron," the press office stated.