OREANDA-NEWS. The number of cases of infection with the omicron strain in Russia during the New Year holidays has tripled, to 305. The head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova said this on Tuesday at a meeting of the coordinating council for combating coronavirus infection under the government of the Russian Federation.

"Cases of infection with the omicron strain have been registered today in 13 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, primarily in Moscow, the Moscow region. They are also the Rostov region, the Perm region, St. Petersburg, the Murmansk, Leningrad, Oryol, Orenburg regions, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Ingushetia, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod region, "she said. "49 cases are from two outbreaks that we registered in two student dormitories in the regions of the Russian Federation," the head of Rospotrebnadzor added.

According to Popova, in general, the incidence of covid in the Russian Federation decreased by 19.4% in the first week of 2022. "According to the results of the first week of this year, 112,006 cases of COVID-19 were registered in the country, the figure is 76.33 per 100 thousand of the population, which is even lower by 19.4% than in the final week of last year," she said. On December 28, Popova reported a decrease in the incidence of covid for a week in the Russian Federation by 11.2%.

In 35 regions, the incidence of covid is higher than the average Russian level. “We see signs of a worsening epidemiological situation and they consist in the fact that in 35 regions of the Russian Federation the incidence rate of covid is higher than the national average,” she said.

Popova also noted that in the age group over 65, the incidence rates remain the highest in the country.