KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 9): After two years of dominance among respiratory viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is now giving way to other agents, according to a Russian epidemiologist.

Russian news agency TASS quoted the deputy director of the Russian Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Natalia Pshenichanaya, as saying that the coronavirus has dominated among respiratory viruses for the past two years, suppressing the spread of other viruses.

“Now the pandemic is gradually subsiding and coronavirus is giving way to other agents,” she said.

Pshenichanaya noted the respiratory syncytial (RS) virus as an example, which, in her words, is "making leeway".

Pshenichnaya said it can’t be completely ruled out that an increase in flu incidence may coincide with a spread of the RS virus, but this situation is quite typical, since both viruses are seasonal.

"Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the flu overlapped with the RS virus quite often.

“By the way, seasonal coronaviruses were also active in the period from November to April, overlapping with the seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial infection.

“But it should be borne in mind that these are absolutely different viruses. When one virus is spreading, cases of the other two can also occur, but it is highly improbable when two or, even more so, three viruses are equally active," she said.