MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. The Omicron coronavirus variant is five to seven times more contagious than other strains, Deputy Director for Clinical and Analytical Work at the Central Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology Natalya Pshenichnaya said in an interview with RT on Wednesday.

"This variant is very contagious," she pointed out. "Rough estimates suggest that Omicron is five to seven times more contagious than usual strains. This is what made it possible for the strain to rapidly spread across South Africa and become the reason for a spike in infections," Pshenichnaya added. "If it spreads in another country, there will be a lot of cases, too," she noted.

The expert stressed that young people and those vaccinated had a mild form of the disease after contracting Omicron.

In late November, the World Health Organization (WHO) named the B.1.1.529 coronavirus strain discovered in southern Africa after the Greek letter omicron. According to the WHO, "this variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning." Omicron cases have already been detected in more than 110 countries, including Russia, with the first patients identified in southern Africa.