A new coronavirus variant, PJ.2.1, could reach Russia in the near future as it spreads across the US, Canada, and Europe, a Russian virologist has warned.

Albert Rizvanov, head of the Center of Excellence for Personalized Medicine at Kazan Federal University and a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, said the rapid pace of international travel could allow new coronavirus variants to cross borders within days, according to Izvestia.

He did not rule out the possibility that PJ.2.1 has already entered Russia through isolated imported cases that went undetected. However, he stressed that the variant's arrival would not necessarily mean it would become the dominant strain in the country.

“We have seen many variants that initially raised concerns among scientists but never achieved widespread circulation,” Rizvanov said.

Meanwhile, Alexander Gorelov, deputy director for research at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, recently said the Stratus COVID-19 variant contributed to an increase in infections in September.

Gorelov noted that the coronavirus continues to mutate and evolve, underscoring the ongoing emergence of new variants.