The virologist assessed the danger of the spread of omicrons and deltas in Russia Russian news EN
Professor of the Department of Virology of the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University Alexei Agranovsky in an interview with Sputnik radio appreciated danger of spread of omicron strain probable and desirable delta in Russia.
According to him, the increase in the incidence of COVID-19 this winter in the country is due, in particular, to the requirement of different strains to infect different categories of the population. “On the one hand, omicron is starting to infect children. On the other hand, there is a delta that is dangerous for adults, because if two people out of 100 are infected, they can die. And both strains can give a post-covid syndrome, ”said the specialist.
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The virologist added that the virus was caused by a delta, it was quite difficult, and this strain is still widespread in Russia. In essence, close proximity of variants of different coronavirus infections can lead to further development of the virus. “Omicron, delta and other strains in one place is not a good cocktail. They can do something,” he asked.
Agranovsky clarified that events would not necessarily follow such a scenario, but there is such a possibility. “Moreover, it is not a fact that an evolutionary selective preference for a virus is possible, which will combine both high lethality and high contagiousness,” he said.
Earlier, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Cell Proliferation Laboratory of the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Petr Chumakov revealed the main route of infection with COVID-19. He said that the occurrence of a disease in the body is most often dangerous. “A lot of viruses are destroyed in the mouth from saliva, it is bactericidal, therefore, when a person breathes through the mouth, he does not endanger himself as much as when through the nose,” Chumakov said.