The first case of new ‘British’ COVID-19 strain was detected in a Russian who returned from the UK. RBC reports citing the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova.
«By the end of last year we saw that we had a variant of the ‘British’ strain that is causing so much concern today,» she said.
The head of Rospotrebnadzor added that the new strain was detected in only one person. He feels well and has no symptoms.
«Test kits used in Russia for PCR diagnostics detect this virus. The vaccines registered in the country «absolutely» protect against the new strain,» Anna Popova stressed.
In total, 7,000 people have arrived in Russia from the UK from the end of November to December 22, 2020 (when air traffic between the countries was suspended). Coronavirus was found in 32 of them, while only four of them had symptoms of the virus.
The new, more contagious strain of coronavirus began spreading in the UK in early December. According to the WHO, it is 50-70 percent more contagious than conventional SARS-CoV-2 variants. Since then, the ‘British’ strain has been detected in at least 41 countries.
