New coronavirus strain may be first sign of pandemic’s end — expert - TASS

The emergence of the omicron strain of the novel coronavirus may be the first indication that the COVID-19 pandemic is nearing its end, said Vladimir Nikoforov, the chief specialist in infectious diseases of the Russian Federal Medical Biological Agency and holder of chair in infectious diseases of the Pirogov Medical University.

"The new strain that originated somewhere in South Africa, which <…> is more contagious, but, on the other hand, there is data indicating that it causes <…> less severe symptoms. In other words, it does not cause serious lung damage. And I think that it might be the beginning of this nightmare’s end. And, probably, I’d like to think of it as of a first sign that the virus has started to recede," he told the Govorit Moskva radio station.

According to Nikiforov, the new strain may cause the virus to become an ordinary seasonal respiratory infection.