The coronavirus Delta strain has elbowed out all other variants in Moscow, and the situation in the Russian capital remains challenging, Deputy Mayor for Social Development Issues Anastasia Rakova said at the Moscow Urban Forum on Friday.
"The coronavirus situation in Moscow remains challenging. According to all of the research, the new Delta Indian strain is potentially the dominant one in the city. It has actually ousted all previous strains," she revealed.
Rakova explained that Delta differs from the previous COVID-19 strain based on the following factors. Firstly, it is more contagious, and secondly, its incubation period is much shorter - 3-5 days. Symptoms change as well. During the first days of the disease, it’s practically impossible to distinguish its symptoms from an acute respiratory viral infection (head cold, temperature, sore throat). Loss of the sense of smell and taste has become less frequent.
The Moscow Urban Forum is being held from July 1 to July 4. The event includes online and offline participation of Russian and foreign experts, with over 450 speakers set to take part in this year’s forum. Over half of them will attend in person, and 191 foreign speakers will join it via video link.
