MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. New coronavirus strains emerge in those countries, which have problems in their public health systems and do not have a high level of herd immunity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
"As for new waves of the coronavirus infection, new strains - what is the reason for this? It stems from this virus’ ability to mutate. That’s all. The answer is simple. New strains emerge where there are problems in the public health system and where herd immunity is low. Well, African countries have many immunodeficiency infections, with new strains emerging. There is nothing unexpected about that," he said during his traditional annual press conference.
On November 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the B.1.1.529 variant identified in South Africa as a "Variant of Concern" and assigned it the Greek letter Omicron. In its statement, the WHO noted that "this variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning."
According to data from the WHO, the new strain has already been recorded in more than 100 countries. As of December 21, Russia reported 41 Omicron cases.