Murashko said that the pandemic worsened the reproductive health of Russians

The activity of the spread of COVID-19 in Russia is declining, said Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko. Nevertheless, the minister noted the importance of timely vaccination of men and women of reproductive age, since, according to him, the pandemic has affected the reproductive health of Russians.

“The pandemic has affected the reproductive health of the nation, including long-term consequences, therefore, despite the decrease in the activity of a new coronavirus infection, vaccination remains an urgent issue,” the minister said at the opening of the XVII International Congress on Reproductive Medicine (quoted from TASS).

Mr. Murashko noted that at present it is necessary to continue work on the vaccination of men and women of reproductive age at the stage of planning the birth of children, as well as pregnant women.

After the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Russia, experts from the Ministry of Health notedthat the infection can cause damage to the ovaries and spermatozoa, having a negative impact on the female and male reproductive system. However, after the patient recovers, the indicators return to normal. According to Mr. Murashko, the conducted studies have proved that the preparations for vaccination against COVID-19 do not have a negative impact on human reproductive health.

The largest decline in the birth rate in Russia against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic was recorded in 2020. However, according to Rosstat data for February 2022, the birth rate for January-February shrunk by only 0.1% (from 8.8 to 8.7 births per 1,000 people compared to the same period in 2021).

Number of new cases of coronavirus in the past week increased by 40.5%. The number of hospitalizations also increased, in terms of 100 thousand inhabitants – by 32.1%.

As Rospotrebnadzor explained to Kommersant, the increase in indicators is due to the return of Russians from the New Year holidays. The supervisory service clarified that “if some new factors do not intervene”, then “in a week or two” the incidence should stabilize and decline.

More details – in the material “Kommersant” “COVID-19 is back from vacation”.

Milena Kostereva