SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, March 6. /TASS/. Outbursts of rise in the number of coronavirus cases will happen occasionally, though they are unlikely to be as large-scale as they were at the beginning of the pandemic, Deputy Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology at the Russian Health Ministry Denis Logunov said in an interview with TASS.

"If we speak about whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus that provokes COVID-19, exists in the population it has not gone anywhere. This is already a resistant anthroponosis (an infection circulating among people - TASS), which changes, and which will provoke some disease incidence similar to flu. Meaning there will be some occasional outbursts but they are no longer as large-scale as they were when the population had no immunity," he said on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival in Sirius.

Same as flu, the coronavirus is acquiring "some seasonality," though its seasons are not fully clear yet, Logunov added. He also urged citizens not to ignore vaccination. "I believe that risk groups should vaccinate, this is not up for debate, because the mortality rate still exists in risk groups. The COVID-19 mortality rate is still higher than that of flu now. This is why it does not make sense if we vaccinate against flu but no one is vaccinated against COVID-19," deputy director concluded.

The World Youth Festival is taking place in the Sirius Federal Territory in far southern Russia on March 1-7, 2024. More than 300,000 people from 190 countries have applied to take part. Participants in the festival’s regional program will visit 30 Russian cities on March 10-17. TASS is the event’s general information partner.