MOSCOW, September 24./TASS/. The number of coronavirus cases is on the rise in 36 Russian regions, the chief of the Russian sanitary watchdog, Anna Popova, said in an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel on Friday.

"First of all, we see a growth in big urban centers. Thirty-six regions (of the Russian Federation) are showing a growth. This growth continues," Anna Popova said.

However, "there are no grounds today to speak about a lockdown," she noted. As expected, people returning from summer holidays, students, give a growth in seasonal respiratory viral infections, as well as the coronavirus infection, she added.

"A new risk group (in regard to acute respiratory viral infections) are the people who were earlier infected with coronavirus. This damage stays with the people, different organs and systems are damaged. This people must be inoculated against flu on the first priority basis," said Popova, the head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing.

Only 47 million Russians have been vaccinated against coronavirus, which is not enough to stop infections in the country, she said.

"We have, let us say, 110-115 million adults. Of them, some 47 million who have received one dose [of a coronavirus vaccine], this is less than a half, this is not 60%, this is certainly not 80%! So we have no grounds to say today that things (infections) will stop," Popova stressed. "We have a large number of people who will get infected when they contact the virus," said Popova, who is head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing.

In her words, practically no deaths are reported among the people vaccinated against coronavirus in Russia.

The vaccines "protect against severe cases, against intensive care and fatalities," said the head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing.

"An absolutely reasonable conclusion [can be made] based on data about 47 million people who have received at least the first jab, that the Russian vaccines are very efficient," she stressed.

Earlier, Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko said that almost 47.5 million people in Russia had received at least one coronavirus jab, while 41 of them were fully vaccinated.

Roughly 2% of those vaccinated against coronavirus are among the patients infected with its Delta variant, the chief of the Russian sanitary watchdog said. 

"About two percent, not more. From which we conclude, an absolutely justified conclusion, that the Russian vaccines are very efficient," said Popova.

According to the Russian anti-coronavirus crisis center, a total of 7,376,374 people have been infected with coronavirus in Russia since the pandemic began. As many as 6,574,608 people have recovered and 202,273 people have died.