Virologists call for Omicron to not be considered a live vaccine

Virologists call for Omicron to not be considered a live vaccine

Assistant professor in the RUDN Department of Infectious Diseases, Sergei Voznesensky, told RBC that the Omicron coronavirus strain is not a live vaccine.

According to him, Omicron currently accounts for about 80% of the total number of people infected with the COVID-19 virus, and the number of deaths per day is more than 70. “These data should be completely sufficient not to consider Omicron as a vaccine.”

In turn, Anatoly Altstein, chief researcher at the Epidemiology Research Center, added that Omicron is more contagious than other strains and that the vaccine is protective. At the same time, he noted that vaccinated people tolerate infection with “Omicron” quite easily.

“We understand that the mortality rate is low, because there has been an increase in infection for a long time,” Altstein said, noting that the Delta strain contributes to the deaths.