Russian Researcher Says Indian Variant Of COVID-19 Did Not Trigger New Pandemic
JAKARTA - A Russian research institute dismissed concerns about the Indian variant of COVID-19 being able to trigger a new pandemic, along with the implementation of the necessary measures.
The Russian State Research Center for Vector Virology and Biotechnology or the Russian Institute of Vectors said there were no prerequisites for the Indian variant of COVID-19 to trigger a more serious pandemic.
The Vector Institute said the sanitary and epidemiological measures taken by Russia were effective against variants of the new coronavirus, including the Indian variant.
"The comprehensive sanitary and epidemiological measures taken in Russia, including the use of vaccines, are characterized by their efficiency not only against the original strain, but also against new variants of the virus," explained the Vector Institute.
"With the current level of control of the situation, there are no prerequisites for an Indian strain to cause a new or more serious pandemic," the Vector Institute continued in a statement.
During the pandemic, the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare gained extensive experience in fighting the spread of COVID-19, including monitoring and evaluating potential new variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Earlier, on Monday The Straits Times published an interview with Professor Teo Yik Ying, Dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Professor Saw warns that the Indian strain (variant B1617 COVID-19) is becoming increasingly dominant worldwide and could exacerbate the pandemic.
For information, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India raised concerns regarding the emergence of a new coronavirus variant based on two mutations in the S protein in the country at the end of March.
According to another report, this mutation was detected in about 15 to 20 percent of samples and was not found in British, South African, and Brazilian strains.