Arcturus most contagious of all known Covid-19 strains - Rospotrebnadzor head

MOSCOW. April 26 (Interfax) - The new Covid-19 sub-variant Arcturus is the most contagious of all existing coronavirus strains, and risks of its spread are present, head of Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova said.

"Yes, beyond any doubt, we see the risks of its spread. They will certainly become a reality, and the only method of protection is our own defense, our care about health, and, of course, for people with a weakened immune system and for those who do not want to fall ill, it is a protective mask and clean hands," Popova said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 (VGTRK) television channel.

The Arcturus sub-variant "is the most contagious of all coronavirus sub-variants that we have had to deal with," she said. Arcturus can infect large groups of people.

"The pace of [Covid-19 morbidity] reduction has slowed down a little" in Russia, Popova said.

"Morbidity decreased 14%-16% per week over the previous three weeks. This week, the past week, is the first one when it declined by a little less than 10%. It means that its decline is stopping," Popova said.

An ever-growing number of Arcturus cases is being recorded in various regions of Russia, she said. In particular, cases of the Arcturus sub-variant have been registered in the Irkutsk and Rostov regions, Crimea and Moscow.