MOSCOW, 11 Aug. There have been no cases of infection with the iota coronavirus variant in Russia, the Vector State Research Center told reporters. Earlier, a preprint of the study was published on the medRxiv website, which states that the iota variant increases the risk of death from infection by 46%, 82% and 62% in persons aged 45-64 years old, 65-74 years old and over 75 years old, respectively.
The infectious disease specialist told about the features of the new iota strain «In the Russian Federation, cases of infection with the iota variant have not been noted,» the message says. The iota variant is found mainly in the United States, but even there, at present, its share in the circulation is less than 1%, the center said. The collected scientific data on the «iota» variant are still limited, this strain requires observation, noted in «Vector.» not enough to draw a conclusion about the higher risks of the iota option in comparison with other options, «the center stressed.
The British professor called herd immunity from COVID-19 impossible.Vector also noted that there are no prerequisites for the widespread spread of the iota coronavirus in Russia. Against the background of the dominance of the «delta» variant, there are no preconditions for the widespread use of the «iota» variant, «the message says.
