Rospotrebnadzor head points to risk of more contagious Covid-19 variants

SOCHI. June 22 (Interfax) - There is a risk that more contagious and severe Covid-19 variants could emerge, although the World Health Organization has declared an end to the novel coronavirus as a global public health emergency, head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) Anna Popova said.

"Despite the cancellation of the emergency, the novel coronavirus is still a serious threat to public health worldwide. The virus remains in broad circulation, and the risk remains that new variants with higher transmissibility or more severe complications will emerge, which makes the need for constant investment in epidemiological monitoring even more pressing," Popova said at the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Global Threats to Biological Security: Problems and Solutions."

It is necessary to monitor both new cases of the virus and Covid-19 aftereffects, such as post-Covid and long-Covid, she said.