On 1322 December 2021, South Africa hosted the Russian-South African Research Mission to study the clinical and epidemiological specifics of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The research mission was organised as part of an agreement between the presidents of Russia and South Africa.
Russia was represented by 20 leading scientists and experts from the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) and the Russian Healthcare Ministry, including representatives of Rospotrebnadzor’s Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, the Healthcare Ministry’s Gamaleya National Research Centre, Rospotrebnadzor’s Microbe National Research Institute, Rospotrebnadzor’s Vector Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology, the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital, the Healthcare Ministry’s National Medical Research Centre of Phthisiopulmonology and Infectious Diseases, Rospotrebnadzor’s Volgograd National Antiplague Research Centre and others.
South Africa was represented by leading scientists and experts from the South African Department of Health, the South African Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa, the National Health Laboratory Service, Stellenbosch University, Durban University of Technology, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and the Jubilee District Hospital in Gauteng.
The parties held consultations on the entire scope of issues concerning measures against Covid-19, including the specifics of the Omicron strain, pertaining to epidemiology, laboratory diagnostics, viral monitoring, immunology, clinical specifics and treatment.
Members of the joint mission discussed the specifics of the coronavirus disease caused by the Omicron variant, and the impact on the spread of the disease, the severity of clinical symptoms, medical treatment and vaccination.
The joint mission determined other areas of scientific cooperation with respect to preventing and countering the epidemic, and drafted a road map for Russia--South Africa scientific cooperation in this field for 2022–2024.
