COVID-19: the evolution of the pandemic in Russia. Report I: manifestations of the COVID-19 epidemic process

Abstract

Background. The ongoing pandemic of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) determines the relevance of the analysis of epidemiological patterns of SARS-CoV-2 spread among the population of the Russian Federation.Aim — study of the manifestations of the epidemic process of COVID-19 in the Russian Federation in 2020–2022.Materials and methods. A retrospective epidemiological analysis of the incidence of COVID-19 in the Russian Federation was carried out from 03/30/2020 to 04/24/2022. The data from the Rospotrebnadzor report No. 970 “Information on cases of infectious diseases in persons with suspected new coronavirus infection”, information portal Stopcoronavirus.rf, etc. were used. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR.Results and discussion. The analysis of the manifestations of the epidemic process of COVID-19 in the Russian Federation in 2020–2022 showed the presence of two stages which differed depending on the influence of the biological factor and the ongoing anti-epidemic measures. There was a pronounced trend in the development of the epidemic process, starting from megacities (Moscow, Moscow region and St. Petersburg), which are major transport hubs and centers of migration activity of the population, to the regions of the Russian Federation. The SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity has been shown to decrease with each subsequent cycle of the rise in the incidence of COVID-19 against the background of the increased contagiousness of the virus.Conclusion. As a result of the study, risk areas (megacities) and risk groups were identified.

Biological Properties of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Sublineages

“…The maximum concentration was noted after 96 hours, while the virus accumulated at low titers (5.0 lg TCD50/100 μl). The plaque size in the agar layer was 0.65±0.55 mm 2 .…”

“…The first Omicron variant was discovered in the country in December 2021 and remained the dominant variant since January 2022 [2].…”

Development and Application of Real-Time PCR-Based Screening for Identification of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Variant Sublineages

“…The highest incidence rate occurred during the period of distribution of the Omicron variant in the territory of the Russian Federation; the incidence rate during this period was several times higher than in previous periods [ 8 , 32 ].…”

Dynamics of university students' experiences with COVID-19 in the first year of pandemic in Russia: dataset

“…St. Petersburg is one of the largest cities in the country and which has one of the most intensive spread of COVID-19 epidemic (Akimkin et al, 2021 ). The first round of data collection occurred at the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Russia (03/30/2020 to 08/30/2020) with an incidence of 51.31 cases per 100,000 people (Akimkin et al, 2022 ). In the study site a set of restrictive measures combined with the introduction of “non-working days” (03/30/2020 to 05/11/2020) was implemented.…”