As Moscow’s mayor announced non-essential services to close between October 28 and November 7 in Russia’s capital, reports said a new coronavirus variant had emerged which may be more contagious than Delta .
Russia’s RIA news agency quoted a researcher as saying that AY.4.2 variant could spread widely leading to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
The country has been facing a surge in coronavirus cases with over 36,000 cases reported on Thursday amid the slow vaccination drive.
Russia’s statistics agency had declared that 49,389 people had died of the virus in August as the Delta strain has continued to spread.
Russia has recorded over 7.5 million COVID-19 cases as the country’s deputy prime minister Golikova warned that most casualties were among the unvaccinated people.
Moscow which has been the epicentre of the virus in the country will be put under greater restrictions as retail centres will be closed and restaurants will be allowed to only give out takeaways.
Schools in the country’s capital have been ordered to close as Mayor Sobyanin described the situation as the “worst-case scenario” as hospitalisations increased three times in just one month.
Other cities in Russia including Voronezh have also been hit due to the fast-spreading virus with the total death toll reaching 227,389.
