Academician Gorelov spoke about the worsening situation with coronavirus after the New Year holidays

In Russia, about six thousand people get sick with coronavirus every day. Every third is in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Omicron strain, which came into the world at the end of 2021, is still active. It is very contagious, but at the same time not dangerous. However, after the New Year holidays the situation may worsen.

Doctors spoke about this at a press conference dedicated to the epidemic season.

The epidemic still has a wave-like character – it either subsides or worsens, says Alexander Gorelov, deputy director for scientific work at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Compared to last week, the number of coronavirus cases has increased significantly, by 35%, but several times fewer Russians fell ill with it than in the same period last year. The flu “grew” quite slightly, by 5%.

“We don’t have a clear leader, and that’s great,” says Alexander Gorelov. – Omicron does not break records. Many Russians report a prolonged cough, and the number of cases of pneumonia has increased. In general, all the main “players” are present. There are a huge number of pathogenic viruses circulating, for which humans are of great interest. In particular, coronaviruses have chosen people as an object that interests them much more than animals.

Conversion of shopping centers and exhibition pavilions into hospitals is a thing of the past, says Alexander Gorelov. From year to year, the coronavirus will gradually weaken, but its circulation will not stop, new varieties will appear, the scientist says.

– I think that more than ten thousand a day will not get sick until the end of this year. There will not be a high peak in incidence; the incidence will remain more or less uniform. And, of course, such lethality as with the alpha and delta strains, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, will no longer happen,” agrees with his colleague, professor of virology, chief researcher at the National Information Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after N.F. Gamaleya Anatoly Altstein.

People who have had infectious diseases this fall are experiencing a lingering cough. Most likely, this reaction is caused by the coronavirus, experts say; a combination of several viruses is possible. If, after being ill, you begin to suffer from fatigue, sweating, and other unpleasant symptoms, go to an infectious disease specialist, doctors recommend. “One episode of Covid causes a hole for six months. And you will perceive an ordinary ARVI as a severe and very unpleasant infection,” says Alexander Gorelov.

And yet – what to expect next? In the fall, the “Pirola” strain appeared, fears about which, fortunately, were not justified. But soon, it is likely that another “Greek hero” will come. If the Greek heroes run out, the strains will be named after the stars from the Milky Way, which will never end, jokes Alexander Gorelov. And he continues seriously:

– New strains will appear in Russia after the New Year holidays. Some of our fellow citizens will leave the country and bring back mysterious viruses. And we will not only share our impressions of the holidays, but we will also exchange viruses. Therefore, traditionally in January we expect the second peak in the incidence of respiratory infections, and Covid is no exception.

“The peaks are smeared,” says the head of the cell proliferation laboratory at the V.A. Institute of Molecular Biology. Engelhardt, corresponding member of the RAS Petr Chumakov. – The infectiousness of new variants is increasing, spreading quickly, but fading just as quickly. In two to three weeks from the onset of the incidence of the new strain, a decline will begin.

Coronaviruses have always lived with humans, as evidenced by regions built into chromosomes, the so-called genomic integration, the expert says. Not all strains of coronavirus have specific symptoms. The only thing they have in common is damage to human blood vessels. In 8-10% of cases, the symptom is diarrhea in older people.

Risk groups have not changed: elderly people, people with reduced immunity, chronically ill people. While the virus is circulating, they need to follow the rules prescribed during the recent pandemic. It is necessary to wear masks, social distancing, clean hands and gadgets, and ventilate rooms. There is no need to attend events with a large number of people.

Participants in the press conference recalled that outbreaks of measles are again being recorded around the world and in Russia, and the World Health Organization reported an increase in deaths from this disease.

You can become infected with measles even while sitting on a stairwell next to a sick person. Like any viral infection, measles begins with fever, headache, and malaise. A specific indicator is a rash on the body, on the inner surface of the oral cavity.

“Measles has intensified due to migration,” says Pyotr Chumakov. – In particular, several million people arrived in Russia from Ukraine, where there have been problems with vaccination in recent years.

And finally, doctors have touched upon a surge in whooping cough – in particular, 88 cases have been identified in the Tomsk region. “It is an undetected and highly contagious infection. The pathogen acts at a distance of 1.5-2 meters. If you have a prolonged cough, you should not run to an allergist, as our citizens usually do, but to an infectious disease specialist,” advises Anatoly Altstein.

Are there plans to introduce a mask regime in Moscow? Such an event is not excluded. But first of all, citizens should think not about complying with the orders of the authorities, but about their health.

“Consistently wearing masks is an effective measure. The main slogan is protect yourself. By protecting yourself, you protect your family members from coronavirus, flu, whooping cough and other diseases,” sums up Alexander Gorelov.