No state can deal with the current novel coronavirus pandemic on its own, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said.
"The first lesson is easy on the one hand, but, on the other hand, it is very difficult: no one can deal with the pandemic alone, one state cannot deal with it on its own, it cannot be contained just by closing borders. Pandemic is a common challenge that should be addressed collectively," TASS cited him as saying.
The Russian official underscored the importance of developing international cooperation in this domain, and called upon states not to become isolated.
"Look at the fresh example of the Omicron strain: apparently, everyone is already used to living in the conditions of a different strain, which is maybe even more severe than Omicron. Various strategies of therapy and systems of communication had been created, but when Omicron emerged, people in every country started to fall ill in tens and hundreds of thousands. And this puts a totally different load on the healthcare system," he said.
Medvedev noted that although the Omicron variant was less lethal than its predecessors, lots of people were falling ill and required medical assistance.
"This is a new challenge, and we need to tackle it together as well, and learn from each other’s experience," he added.
