MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. There is no need to introduce additional measures in Russia because of the spread of the coronavirus infection in China, Vitaly Zverev, research director at the Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, told TASS on Thursday.
"We have herd immunity. A lot of people have had it [COVID], especially the Omicron strain, it's been in the country since roughly last January. It (Omicron - TASS) changes, but nothing happens. I think nothing needs to be done," the expert insisted.
China loosened its anti-COVID restrictions in early December, after which the country saw a new wave of coronavirus cases. According to Chinese medical experts, these are weakened strains of SARS-CoV-2, so the disease usually has a mild form and the probability of lethal outcome is low.
Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) head Anna Popova has instructed to maintain control at state border crossing points because of the modifications in the movement of Chinese citizens. According to Marina Sharabakina, head of Rospotrebnadzor’s epidemiological well-being department, the measures taken by the department did not prevent the existing trade and economic relations between the countries. She stressed that so far there was no need to introduce special restrictions.