1,424 Different Strains of Coronavirus Detected in Russia

Russian scientists warn that there are 1,424 strains of Coronavirus (known also as COVID-19) that have been detected in the country so far.

The head of the Russian Federal Authority for Consumer Rights Supervision, Anna Popova, announced that more than 1,420 strains of the novel coronavirus have been detected in Russia.

During a meeting held by the Governmental Coordination Council concerned with facing the Corona pandemic, today, Tuesday, Popova explained that the Russian "Victor" Center specializing in virology and biotechnology, which was included by the World Health Organization (WHO) on its list of centers of reference in diagnosing Corona infection, had conducted an analysis of more than 5,000 biological samples from all over Russia.

The Russian official added that detecting mutations of the Coronavirus is a "routine work."

She added   that among the 1,424 strains that have been detected, there is no single strain "associated with changing the characteristics of the virus, including its ability to transmit from person to person and its ability to cause diseases."

Popova indicated that Russian experts did not detect "those that their counterparts are talking about in Britain" among the mentioned strains.

On the other hand, Rinat Maxotov, director of the "Victor" scientific center for viruses and biotechnology, said that the analysis of the strains of the coronavirus in Russia showed that there were no significant changes in it.

The expert stated that, during the analysis, no growing threat to humanity was identified.

He explained that the novel Coronavirus, like any other virus, is constantly changing, and it accumulates genetic mutations.

Maxiotov revealed that the "Victor" Center is constantly studying the genetic changes of the coronavirus in Russia, in order to determine and evaluate whether the current testing systems can detect the virus, as well as to determine the effectiveness of drugs.

The Russian experts seek to determine the emergence of new, more dangerous strains of the virus.

A few days ago, Britain announced the discovery of a new strain of Coronavirus, which is faster than the previous one.