• ENG

Scientists Discover 'Moscow Strain' Of Covid-19 As Cases Rise In Russia

Scientists Discover 'Moscow Strain' Of Covid-19 As Cases Rise In Russia
Scientists Discover 'Moscow Strain' Of Covid-19 As Cases Rise In Russia

Russian scientists have identified a new variant of the coronavirus in Moscow as cases across the country spiked. Here's everything we know so far.

Written by Arushi Bidhuri |Published : June 16, 2021 9:13 PM IST

As the world continues to combat against the novel coronavirus still at its peak, reports have suggested that a new "Moscow strain" has been identified in Russia. Scientists from Russia's Gamaleya National Center claim to have discovered a novel coronavirus strain called "Moscow" as cases spread across the country.

According to the Moscow Times, the Gamaleya Center's Alexander Ginsburg was cited as saying to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that scientists who created the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccination are evaluating the vaccination's efficacy against the new strain. "We think that the vaccine will be effective, but we must wait for the study results."

What Do We Know About The Moscow Covid-19 Strain?

While epidemiologists have verified the presence of modified coronavirus strains from Russia, limited information is available about this strain. As per the report, Denis Protsenko, a doctor at primary Covid-19 hospital in Moscow, stated last week that hospital patients were not responding to previously effective treatments, indicating that altered Covid-19 strains were present in the city.

Also Read

More News

Reports suggest that the COVID-19 epidemic in Moscow has been on the increase since the middle of May. As per 7,704 instances were recorded in the city earlier on Sunday, the highest number since December 24 of the previous year. According to the Sun, Denis Logunov, Gamalaeya's Deputy Director, told the state-owned Russian news outlet TASS that they are monitoring the situation in Moscow.

People Remain Sceptic About Covid Vaccines In Russia

Sputnik-V, the World's first Covid-19 vaccine, is spurring scepticism despite the country's heavy touting of the vaccine abroad. Peer-reviewed research published in The Lancet declared that Sputnik V is 91.6 per cent effective against the coronavirus, however, people still remain sceptical of Russian-made vaccines. Moscow's vaccination rates remain below expectation despite reports of mutated Covid-19 strains found in the capital. According to reports, only 12 per cent of the country's population has had at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which promotes Sputnik V, claimed Tuesday that the vaccination has been proven to be more effective than any other vaccination against the Delta strain initially discovered in India and that it has submitted its findings to an international peer-reviewed journal.

Meanwhile, Coronavirus Cases Rise In Russia

Infections of the deadly virus have increased in Russia. The nation recorded 13,397 new coronavirus infections and 396 fatalities on Wednesday. There are 5,782 instances in Moscow. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin declared a "non-working week" from June 15 to June 19 to combat the surge. Sobyanin has also made required coronavirus vaccines for service sector workers.

(with inputs from IANS)