Russia unlikely to witness COVID-19 surge this spring, claim virologists

As the world continues to recover from the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has come to light that Coronavirus cases in Russia are unlikely to surge this spring. However, Russian virologists have said that the possibility of a COVID surge cannot be completely ruled out, reported TASS.

A senior researcher, Anatoly Altshtein, of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology said the COVID pandemic is coming in waves, and a surge will occur when a new variant emerges. He said that it has been observed that the next surge is less intense compared to the previous one.

Russian virologists expect no surge in COVID-19 cases this spring

"The COVID pandemic is coming in waves. A surge occurs when new variants emerge. The general trend is that every next surge is less intense compared to the previous one. The latest surges were not very intense. I don’t think there are any grounds to expect a surge soon, although, of course, this cannot be ruled out," he said. 

Meanwhile, virologist and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Lukashev expressed the possibility of some fluctuations in COVID cases in Russia. "Scientists still do not have a full understanding of all factors that lead to seasonal surges in viral respiratory infections. Even for the same virus, seasonal statistics can be slightly different depending on the year, region, and age group. There is no general rule indicating that there will certainly be one infection wave, or two, for instance," he said. "I see no reason to say that a surge in cases will surely occur in the spring," he added.

The expert said that several factors determine the infection process, and therefore, it can hardly be predicted with certainty. The virologist also mentioned that the seasonal influenza outbreak in Russia reached its peak last month but is now on the decline.

"A certain increase in influenza and acute respiratory viral infections is observed at the moment. Type B influenza is becoming more prevalent. This is true, but this trend has no significant effect," Altshtein said.

Image: AP