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Coronavirus pandemic

COVID-19 Delta strain came to Russia via US, Europe, Maldives, top sanitary doctor says

According to Anna Popova, the Delta strain makes up about 66% of the coronavirus infections currently detected in Russia

MOSCOW, July 9. /TASS/. Russians infected with the Delta coronavirus strain have been returning to Russia from the US, European countries and the Maldives, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova said.

"The Delta strain is [a result of] a good vacation in the Maldives, there are several European countries that now definitely show that they have up to 70-90% of its spread, along with the United States," she said in an interview with one of Russia’s top TV reporters Nailya Asker-Zade, a fragment of which was published on the TV host’s Telegram channel on Friday.

As the top sanitary doctor emphasized, it is necessary to inoculate the entire population of Russia in order to strive to become the most advanced country in the fight against the coronavirus infection.

Earlier, she reported that the Delta strain makes up about 66% of the coronavirus infections currently detected in Russia.

Delta Plus strain

According to Anna Popova, only one case of the infection with the Delta Plus coronavirus strain has been detected in Russia, this happened in April.

"[As far as] Delta Plus [is concerned], only one case has been detected. And in general, it is well-known. This event happened in the month of April. A woman who, as it turned out later, who was infected with this virus, was simply undergoing routine testing before hospitalization. <…> So far, there have been no other cases of Delta Plus detected in Russia," she said.

At the end of June, the Russian top sanitary doctor reported that a case of the infection with the Delta Plus coronavirus strain had been detected in Russia, the patient had a mild form of the disease.

The coronavirus variant officially labeled Delta was first detected in India last October. Earlier, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences reported that this version of the virus is capable of infecting people even after inoculation with the Covaxin and Covishield vaccines used in India. The Delta Plus version of this strain is considered to be even more contagious.

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