Shafaq News/ Russia has reported  COVID-19 cases infected with a new coronavirus variant more contagious than the Delta one.

The AY.4.2 variant may spread widely; RIA Agency quoted the state consumer watchdog's senior researcher Kamil Khafizov as saying.

The new variant could even replace Delta eventually, although the process is likely to be slow, he said.

The sub-variant known as Delta Plus, designated as AY.4.2 in Britain, is growing and accounted for about Six percent of all sequences generated in the UK, the UK Health Security Agency said last week. Still, it has not been labeled "under investigation" or a "variant of concern.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he supported the Cabinet’s proposal to introduce a non-working period starting October 30 and extending through the following week amid rising coronavirus infection and death numbers.

The Russian government reported 1,028 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, the highest number since the pandemic. 

Russia’s total death toll reached 226,353, which is one of the highest worldwide.