Popova announced the ability of "omicron" to infect mice and rats

A new strain of "omicron" infects mice and rats that were not previously susceptible to infection with coronavirus, said the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova during a meeting of the Presidium of the Coordinating Council to Combat COVID-19 , RBC correspondent reports.

“Mice and rats are infected with the new omicron strain, we did not observe this for the previous types of strains,” Popova said. Previously, researchers had to look for other model animals, as mice and rats were insensitive to past strains of coronavirus, she said. “Today we see that they become infected and they develop a state of illness,” added the head of Rospotrebnadzor.

Now, as Popova said, the strain is under study in accordance with the plan by which all new viruses are studied. For an omicron strain, resistance in the environment and to disinfectants, the likelihood of infection and the rate of transmission in the laboratory, as well as the ability of the virus to cause severe forms of the disease, are determined. In addition, the sensitivity of PCR tests and the effectiveness of vaccines against the strain are analyzed.

According to the head of Rospotrebnadzor, 41 cases of infection with a new strain of coronavirus have been registered in Russia. The first case of infection with the omicron variant was recorded in the country on December 6 - in two Russians who returned from South Africa. According to information from the World Health Organization, as of December 18, "omicron" was detected in 89 countries around the world. In the US and the UK, deaths of patients with a new strain have been recorded.