Background. The ongoing pandemic of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) determines the relevance of the analysis of epidemiological patterns of SARS-CoV-2 spread among the population of the Russian Federation.Aim — study of the manifestations of the epidemic process of COVID-19 in the Russian Federation in 2020–2022.Materials and methods. A retrospective epidemiological analysis of the incidence of COVID-19 in the Russian Federation was carried out from 03/30/2020 to 04/24/2022. The data from the Rospotrebnadzor report No. 970 “Information on cases of infectious diseases in persons with suspected new coronavirus infection”, information portal Stopcoronavirus.rf, etc. were used. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR.Results and discussion. The analysis of the manifestations of the epidemic process of COVID-19 in the Russian Federation in 2020–2022 showed the presence of two stages which differed depending on the influence of the biological factor and the ongoing anti-epidemic measures. There was a pronounced trend in the development of the epidemic process, starting from megacities (Moscow, Moscow region and St. Petersburg), which are major transport hubs and centers of migration activity of the population, to the regions of the Russian Federation. The SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity has been shown to decrease with each subsequent cycle of the rise in the incidence of COVID-19 against the background of the increased contagiousness of the virus.Conclusion. As a result of the study, risk areas (megacities) and risk groups were identified.

In this article, we analyzed the problems associated with increasing antibiotic resistance, irrational use of antibiotics, and inadequate demand for them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective. Using the method of digital epidemiology, we analyzed the dynamics of the frequency of a specific request for antibiotics in pharmacies and hospitals. We used open data from Yandex (Wordstat.Yandex) and Google (Google Trends) collected on weekly basis for the Russian Federation. Results. The World Health Organization reports a growing problem of antibiotic misuse by some individuals and healthcare institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Extensive irrational use of antibiotics causes the development of antibiotic resistance by many microorganisms, including those circulating in hospitals (for example, ESKAPE group). Moreover, COVID-19 has led to an exponential increase in the use of biocides worldwide, potentially resulting in additional indirect pressure promoting the selection of antibiotic-resistant strains. The pandemic in Russia was marked by a significant increase in antibiotic sales in pharmacies (including systemic antibacterial agents) and purchases by healthcare institutions. Conclusion. Our findings demonstrate that the rapid spread of COVID-19 was associated with extensive consumption of antibiotics, which resulted in growing antibacterial resistance (number of circulating drug-resistant strains) and posed a threat to the national security. The COVID-19 necessitates the discovery of new effective treatments for this infection, as well as rational use of antimicrobial drugs. The implementation of surveillance of antibiotic consumption will help to identify changing trends in their use, combine efforts to solve problems related to antibiotics and drug resistance, and to ensure rational use of antimicrobials. Key words: antibiotics, antibiotic resistance, pandemic, COVID-19, digital epidemiology

Background. The pandemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 determines the relevance of conducting a study of the gender age structure of hospitalized and deceased among the population of Moscow on the example of one of the city clinical hospitals in 2020 and 2021. The aim of the work is to identify the patterns of the epidemic process of COVID-19 in connection with the gender and age characteristics of hospitalized adults and to establish the sex and age groups most susceptible to hospitalization and mortality from COVID-19. Materials and methods. The analysis of the structure of hospitalized and deceased from COVID-19 in the context of their gender and age composition was carried out. The data of the statistical accounting form F-60u/lech "Journal of infectious diseases" of adults hospitalized in one of the city clinical hospitals of Moscow in 2020 and 2021 were used. Data processing was carried out by a set of standard statistical methods. To identify the true risk groups for hospitalization and mortality, a statistical correction of the sex and age composition of the population of Moscow was used. Results and discussion. Using standard statistical methods in combination with the use of statistical correction of sex and age composition, data on the true risk groups for hospitalization and mortality among the population of Moscow in 2020 and 2021 were obtained. Conclusion. The results obtained in our independent study on the true risk groups for hospitalization and mortality among the population of Moscow complement and introduce new knowledge about the true risk groups for hospitalization and mortality in COVID-19. The patterns identified in this epidemiological analysis are an important component of epidemiological surveillance for making managerial decisions to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and planning for the provision of inpatient medical care to established gender and age risk groups.

Overdiagnosis of congenital infections caused by Human Herpesvirus 6A/B (HHV-6A/B) in newborns with an inherited chromosomally integrated (ici) HHV-6A/B creates an unreasonable economic burden for the healthcare system and society. We assessed economic significance of detection and laboratory confirmation of iciHHV-6A/B in newborns with congenital infections during their inpatient treatment in Moscow in 2020. The introduction of a new method based on the quantitative detection of HHV-6A/B DNA in patient’s whole blood sample, nail plates and/or hair follicles by a real-time polymerase chain reaction will result in an economic effect with a minimum ratio of 1:68, will reduce healthcare costs in Moscow and optimize the epidemiological surveillance of vertically congenital infections in the region. The total estimated economic costs averted (including costs of pharmacotherapy, as well as clinical, laboratory, and instrumental examinations and other medical procedures in maternity and obstetric hospitals) will be approximately 6 million rubles per year for Moscow. Key words: economic significance, economic costs averted, Human Herpesvirus 6A/B, inherited chromosomally integrated Human Herpesvirus 6 A/B, newborns, congenital infections

Approaches based on the analysis of internet search query data can be important for understanding public reaction and conducting disease surveillance. One of these tools may be the Yandex.Wordstat service. In addition to near-universal public access to search services and the ability to collect real-time data, many users search information in the internet before visiting a doctor, which makes it possible to better capture the onset of diseases, the processes associated with them and the reaction of society.The aim of our retrospective, descriptive study of COVID‑19 in Russia is to use Yandex.Wordstat to describe the symptoms of the disease and complications based on search queries, as well as their relationship to the public interest in prevention measures, testing for COVID‑19.Methods. We used the Yandex.Wordstat service, a public online system for tracking search queries by week in the Yandex search engine. Requests to Yandex in Russia were analyzed from 08/10/2020 to 11/28/2021. We initially compiled a list of 61 search terms in the following categories: common symptoms of COVID‑19, complications, testing, drug use, preventive measures, medical care, allergies.Results. Search terms related to symptoms, testing, and drugs closely correlate with reported cases of COVID‑19 in Russia, which indicates the need for further research on the potential use of the Yandex service as a disease surveillance tool.