In Russia, the identification of a more infectious variant of the omicron strain of coronavirus BA.4 has been confirmed . Kamil Khafizov, head of the laboratory for genomic research at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor , told Interfax about this.

The first samples with the new variant of COVID-19 were handed over to laboratories at the end of May, Khafizov said.

He elaborated that recently published studies have shown that “variants of the virus, known as BA.4 and BA.5, are slightly more transmissible than early forms of omicron.”

At the same time, Khafizov noted that the BA.2 variant and its daughter subvariants currently prevail in Russia, they account for about 95% of all new infections.

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