Delta variant in Russia: no vaccination, no salary

The infection rates in Russia’s metropolises are skyrocketing, the vaccination rate is not keeping pace. The state reacts with coercion: salespeople, waiters, civil servants and lecturers have to be vaccinated – or are “released” unpaid.

The opening of Russia’s largest vaccination center in Moscow by Mayor Sergej Sobyanin was a ceremony: since July 1, up to 6,000 people have been vaccinated there every day. And this is also necessary: ​​So far, the vaccination campaign has been sluggish – and the delta variant has the country firmly under control. There are more than 20,000 new infections in Russia every day, a quarter of them in Moscow alone. And the number of Covid deaths has also risen, there are several hundred every day in Russia.

As in Moscow, the corona numbers are currently extremely high in Saint Petersburg. More than 100 people die here every day from the disease. Alongside Moscow, the city is the hotspot in Russia. Experts fear that the number of infections will increase even more as a result of the European championship football matches. “Everything depends on how the fans follow the rules,” said Petersburg epidemiologist Anton Bartschuk before the last game in the city. “We have the Delta variant here. The probability is very high that some will contract the virus.”

But in the stadium and in the fan zone people celebrated, crowded together, many without masks. The consequences were seen after the Finnish team’s two games. 4,500 fans had come and almost 400 were infected. Shortly afterwards, the Finnish Ministry of Health attributed 40 percent of the new infections to the returnees from Russia.

Deep distrust of vaccines

Russia has four corona vaccines – all of them in-house developments, the most common being Sputnik V. Although mass vaccination began early – many say too early -, only just under 17 percent of people across Russia have so far received the first vaccination. This is certainly also due to delivery bottlenecks and transport difficulties in the regions: In Dagestan only around five percent have been vaccinated for the first time, in contrast to 24 percent in the metropolis of Moscow.

The main reason for the slow vaccination, however, is the skepticism of the population. On the one hand, there are all kinds of conspiracy theories: vaccination would make you sick, get cancer, become sterile and unable to reproduce. The theory of the nanochip, implanted by vaccination, is also haunted by the Internet in Russia. Much more important, however, is the people’s deep distrust of vaccines, which the government recommends. According to a recent survey by the renowned Levada Institute, 54 percent of all people in Russia do not want to be vaccinated. 57 percent are not afraid of being infected.

Sputnik’s side effects have been well studied

International studies believe that there is a lot of skepticism about Sputnik V, which is unfounded. British researchers attested the vaccine a more than 90 percent protective effect. However, that was before the Delta variant. Sputnik also protects against these, but the effect is likely to be less. “All Russian vaccines are effective against the new Covid variant Delta,” says Dmitrij Lisowetz from the health department in Saint Petersburg. “The effectiveness of Russian vaccines is confirmed by scientific research.” However, these have not yet been published.

The side effects of Sputnik V. Sputnik is a vector vaccine, similar to the mode of action of AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson. The journal “Nature” quotes a preprint study by the Italian hospital in Buenos Aires. In 683 employees there who were vaccinated with Sputnik V, no side effects related to blood coagulation occurred. Because of this – very rare – side effect, which can lead to thrombosis in the brain, vector vaccines have meanwhile been controversial. In Brazil, “Nature” quotes another study, there were no deaths after 2.8 million vaccinations with Sputnik V and mostly only mild side effects.

Simplified re-entry for vacationers

In any case, Russia relies on Sputnik V. In some regions, compulsory vaccinations have now been ordered. In Moscow, employees in the catering, retail and public service sectors have to be vaccinated. And 60 percent of employees in companies must be vaccinated. Anyone who refuses will be “released” – without a salary. The interior areas of restaurants and cafés are only allowed to visit vaccinated, convalescent or people with a negative PCR test. The catering industry is therefore complaining about a sharp drop in sales. And in the Black Sea region of Krasnodar, which also includes the mass tourism destination Sochi, only those who have been vaccinated and recovered will be allowed to go on holiday from August.

The latest bonus for vaccinated people: returnees from abroad who have the certificate no longer need a PCR test when entering the country. That will please the many thousands of people who want to vacation in Turkey. The country is one of the favorite destinations of Russian tourists.