A new dangerous strain of coronavirus is expected in Karelia in February

In Karelia, a surge in the incidence of CORONAVIRUS infection is expected, caused by a new dangerous strain, called the Kraken. According to experts, the increase in the incidence is expected in February-March. As the deputy chief physician of the Republican Infectious Diseases Hospital, chief freelance infectious disease specialist of Karelia Natalia Sborovskaya said on the air of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company of Karelia, this type of coronavirus is highly contagious, as a result of which the infection is transmitted from person to person very quickly.

At the same time, the expert noted that this variant of covid-19 is not as dangerous as, for example, the Delta strain. However, the severity of the situation is affected by the fact that at the same time as the coronavirus infection, a significant number of other influenza viruses are now circulating, including H1N1pdm2009 (“swine flu” - ed.), which caused a pandemic in 2009 with a significant number of deaths. Natalia Sborovskaya reminded about the need for vaccination, observance of the mask regime and hygiene measures that are necessary to prevent infectious diseases.

Earlier, the Karelian Ministry of HEALTH warned about the danger of a new strain of coronavirus with the simultaneous course of seasonal flu. Minister of Health of the Republic Mikhail Okhlopkov noted that Kraken is able to show signs of avoiding immunity, as well as bypassing the protection provided by vaccines.

According to the republican department of Rospotrebnadzor, 199 cases of COVID-19 were registered in Karelia in the second week of 2023 . Compared to last week, there is an increase of 76.1%. At the same time, an increase in the number of cases is observed in all age groups. The incidence rate of acute respiratory viral infections is 78.9 per 10 thousand of the population, which is 22.1% higher than the epidemic threshold.