The strain in the passport: why Turkey is dangerous for tourists

Virologists do not recommend Russian tourists to go to Turkey – dozens of cases of infection with British, South African and Brazilian strains of COVID-19 have been detected there. This was reported by the country’s health ministry. This direction is especially popular with our tourists today, many have already booked tours to this country for the May holidays. However, doctors warn, even vaccination may not save them from the mutated virus.

Looming threat

In Turkey, many cases of infection with new strains of COVID-19 are detected, it follows from the statement of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Fahrettin Koji.

– The British variant was found in 180,448 samples in 81 provinces, the South African variant in 169 samples in 11 provinces, and the Brazilian variant in four samples in two provinces. Californian strain found in two samples in the same province– said the minister, whose words are quoted by the official website of the department.

According to Koji, British variant of COVID-19 accounts for 75% of coronavirus cases in the state… Against the background of similar incidence rates of the Turkish population, the minister urged citizens to follow epidemiological recommendations.

Tourism experts do not exclude that the issue of partial limitation of flights to Turkey is being addressed.

– On December 22 last year, trips to the UK were suspended due to the risk of a new strain entering Russia. In Turkey, such restrictions were not introduced until a certain point. On March 26, the headquarters opened six new countries, in the same decision it was indicated that 13 new Russian cities could be opened for international flights. The next day, the Federal Air Transport Agency did not agree on flights to the UK (there are still none) and Turkey. New airports in cities such as Krasnodar, Sochi, Voronezh were not allowed to fly to Turkey. There is a feeling that there are attempts to restrict flights to Turkey. Perhaps they are associated with the threat of identifying new strains, – a source in the tourism industry told Izvestia.

Doctors advise against

The accelerated appearance of new strains testifies to the fact that with the persisting mutation frequency, the virus began to evolve faster, Mikhail Kagan, Honored Doctor of Russia, leading scientific editor of the Vrachu.ru service, told Izvestia earlier.

– This is due to the fact that, on the one hand, the virus must adapt to the growing stratum of people who are immune to the classic strain as a result of an infection or vaccination. On the other hand, in the population, there is still a fairly large proportion of people without immunity, multiplying in which the virus mutates, as a result of which it can change in such a way that it will infect those who have been ill and vaccinated, – noted Kagan.

The tendency of the coronavirus to mutate was noted a year ago, at the very beginning of the pandemic, recalled a neurologist, co-chairman of the All-Russian Union of Patients, Yan Vlasov.

– Now you need to take care and not endanger the health and life of your loved ones, friends and colleagues. Especially on the eve of the spring-summer season. It is clear that the budgets of countries for 30, and sometimes 50% are formed at the expense of tourism, and they will take any risk for people, opening the entrance to the country. But our citizens must understand that this is a risk of loss of health or life, – he stressed.

Vaccine and adjustment

Now information is beginning to appear that new strains are more resistant to immunity, which arose as a result of COVID-19 disease or vaccination, the director of the Scientific and Clinical Center for Precision and Regenerative Medicine of the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology of Kazan Federal University Albert Rizvanov is sure.

This does not mean that a person who has been vaccinated or has been ill is completely defenseless against a new strain, but immunity protects him from this strain worse. Plus, this new variant of the coronavirus itself is better transmitted from person to person than the original Chinese. Thus, there is a danger that either people may get sick again or the vaccine may not protect them.

– Of course, limiting communication with Turkey would help to avoid such risks, but our people, unfortunately, follow the principle “if you can’t, but you really want to, then you can.” Unfortunately, sooner or later this strain will get to Russia. Closing the borders would only delay it for a while. But this delay would make it possible to adjust existing vaccines, – reported Albert Rizvanov.

Earlier, the director of the Gamaleya Center, Alexander Gunzburg, said that the institution’s specialists have developed a technology that will update the Sputnik V vaccine, if the virus mutates, within two days.