Rospotrebnadzor warned about the contagiousness of "Cerberus"

New recently identified strains of CORONAVIRUS are more contagious and more easily transmitted from person to person, Rospotrebnadzor said. The Ministry of HEALTH explained that, under the supervision of doctors,

Variants of the omicron strain of coronavirus BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 (“Cerberus”) are transmitted from person to person faster than others, Rospotrebnadzor reported. They were registered in RUSSIA on 26 October.

“In Russia, cases of covid-19 have already been registered , caused by new variants of the virus BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 (“Cerberus”). They are characterized by increased transmissibility, that is, they are transmitted from person to person even faster than other variants of the coronavirus,” the department warned.

The HEAD of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, announced on October 26 that two new variants of the coronavirus had been identified in Russia, including the Cerberus strain. She did not rule out an increase in the incidence of COVID-19 by the end of autumn, but at the same time stated that “no restrictive measures are planned to be introduced today.”

The new coronavirus strain BQ.1.1 "cerberus" is a mutated variant of BA.5, "omicron". it was discovered in September in a number of European countries and is characterized by an even more rapid spread, 20–30% faster than the “omicron”. According to the head physician of Moscow Clinical Hospital No. 15, Valery Vechorko, Cerberus, in comparison with other strains, is characterized by “strong toothiness” due to the type and number of outgrowths due to which this type of virus was named coronavirus.

In Russia, a strain of coronavirus "Cerberus" has been identified Society

So far, isolated cases of BQ.1 have been recorded in Russia; lineages BA.4 and BA.5 still dominate among those detected in the country.

Vladimir Chulanov, chief specialist of the Ministry of Health for infectious diseases, explained to TASS that "Cerberus" is more contagious, but it proceeds more easily.

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“The new strain BQ.1.1 “Cerberus” is more contagious, but, according to doctors, the course is milder. If a person is vaccinated against influenza and less than six months have passed since the last vaccination against coronavirus, then the disease will be mild or asymptomatic. Therefore, it is important to undergo timely vaccination, ”the expert said.

Chulanov recalled that coronavirus and influenza are more severe in people aged 65 years and older, as well as those with chronic diseases and metabolic disorders. Infants, young children, and pregnant women are also at risk for severe influenza.

Rospotrebnadzor warned that in 20 regions of Russia, the incidence of covid is again growing, including in Moscow and the Moscow Region - by 30.9 by 4.3%, respectively. The proportion of patients with pneumonia increased from 1.9% to 2.9% over the month, the department noted.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the incidence of coronavirus in the city is small. “Somehow COVID faded into the background, but there is, of course, a small amount of diseases, from 500 to 1 thousand people, these are the minimum values,” he said.