Fears new virus variant behind Russia surge

Russian authorities are investigating a possible new Covid-19 variant after a sudden rise in cases.

The country reported 13,397 new cases yesterday — about half of which were in the capital — and 396 deaths.

The more transmissible Delta variant, discovered in India, is now in 74 countries and has been identified in Russia, but there are fears that a Moscow variant might be behind the recent increase.

Denis Logunov, of the Gamaleya Institute, which developed Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, told the stateowned news agency Tass the capital may “have its own strains”.

He said scientists at the institute were monitoring cases.

Alexander Gitsburg, of the

Gamaleya Institute, said scientists are working to “determine a spectre of variants which are circulating in Moscow: this is not just one Wuhan variant but the mutated Indian one as well”.

The infections in the capital have prompted the city’s chief of public health to order certain industries to ensure the vaccination of at least 60 per cent of employees. The announcement covers workers such as hairdressers, taxi drivers, teachers and performers.

The order took many in Russia by surprise after President Vladimir Putin and other top officials criticised low vaccination levels but insisted mandatory vaccination was not on the cards. Putin said on Sunday only 18 million of Russia’s 144 million population had been vaccinated.

Sergei Sobyanin, the Moscow mayor, reimposed coronavirus restrictions in the Russian capital last week to stem the new infections.

“The situation with coronavirus is still dramatic,” and the number of hospitalisations in Moscow has now reached 12,000 people, he said.

“We are already at last year’s peak in terms of new infections.”

Denis Protsenko, head physician at Moscow’s main coronavirus hospital, said his hospital has 407 patients on ventilators, which he described as the all-time high of the pandemic. Hospitals in Moscow are repurposing thousands of beds for an influx of patients.