The new Omicron subspecies, Stratus, is easily confused with acute respiratory viral infections and allergies

The new Omicron subspecies Stratus, which has spread in Moscow and other Russian cities, has symptoms similar to acute respiratory viral infections or seasonal allergies, Andrey Prodeus, chief allergist and immunologist at the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region, told Izvestia.

"Nasal congestion, malaise, runny nose, sore throat, redness of the eyes fit both a viral infection and a respiratory allergy. This often happens in spring, when the birch is in bloom, and in the second half of summer, when the grasses are in bloom. With mild allergies and acute respiratory viral infections, the temperature often does not occur or it is very low. The new Omicron subspecies has not shown serious symptoms, so no special measures need to be taken," he told Izvestia.

In addition, the symptoms of coronavirus infection and seasonal allergies may overlap, Mikhail Bolkov, a researcher at the Institute for the Study of Aging at the Russian State Scientific and Clinical Center of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University of the Russian Ministry of Health, told Izvestia.

According to Rospotrebnadzor, 114 cases of Stratus subspecies infection have been identified in the Russian Federation. The largest part is in Moscow — 54%. Samples were also taken from such regions as St. Petersburg, Altai Krai, Moscow, Vologda, Magadan, Kaliningrad, Smolensk, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk and Irkutsk regions, Yamalo-Nenets Administrative District, Altai Republic, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

In a special "Stratus": a new subspecies of "Omicron" is easily confused with acute respiratory viral infections and allergies