MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. The second and even the third surge of the novel coronavirus infection are possible in Russia as long as it has neither a vaccine nor herd immunity to the disease, said Alexander Gorelov, director of the Russian sanitary watchdog’s central epidemiology research institute.

"In the case of any respiratory viral infection we hope for herd immunity. It is clear that it would be impossible to bring the infection rate to zero, that’s why I am absolutely convinced that there will be a second surge, and, possibly, even a third one unless we are protected by herd immunity or an efficient vaccine," he said in a Channel One broadcast.

At the same time, the expert added that the upcoming surges will not be that steep.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 4,355,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 293,000 deaths have been reported.

To date, a total of 242,271 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 48,003 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 2,212 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.