MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. A Russian expert sees no reason for making pessimistic forecasts about the novel coronavirus in Russia, because no snowballing growth in cases has been registered in the country so far.

"Although the epidemiological process continues to gain momentum, as demonstrated by the peak figures, there are no grounds for making pessimistic forecasts, because no exponential growth has been observed so far," said Alexander Gorelov, a deputy director of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology.

Gorelov said the rise in new cases during the winter season was expected, because weather conditions can aggravate the epidemiological process.

"However, we expect gradual stabilization to begin in coming weeks if all recommended measures are observed," the expert added.

According to him, the number of coronavirus cases will continue to grow because more and more people are being tested for the infection.

To date, 2,515,009 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 1,981,526 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 44,159 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.