MOSCOW, Nov 25, 2021 (BSS/TASS) - COVID-19 mortality is 50 times as high as
that of swine flu, deputy director of the Gamaleya National Research Center
of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Denis Logunov, said on Wednesday.

   "Mortality from acute respiratory viral diseases is critically lower that
mortality from COVID-19. Mortality from flu, even of swine flu, is only 0.04%
whereas mortality from COVID-19 is two percent, based on WHO statistics. The
difference is by 50 times," he said in an interview with RT.

  The key task for humankind now is to develop herd immunity to bring down
lethality and reduce the burden on the public health system he stressed.

   "High-level herd immunity will be developed when people are immune either
after vaccination or after the disease, or when some of those vaccinated have
a mild form of the disease. All these will matter," he said.

  According to Russia's anti-coronavirus crisis center, herd immunity to
COVID-19 in Russia currently stands at 50.4%.