Russian scientists claim they have identified another variant of the coronavirus, as cases surge across the country.

Dubbed the “Moscow” strain, they are urgently investigating whether it is resistant to current vaccines. Russia has seen a spike in infections of the deadly virus, leading to the imposition of new restrictions in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. On Sunday health authorities reported more than 14 700 COVID cases, which represents the largest one-day tally since February.

Experts believe that the new strain could be driving the explosion in infections.

Denis Logunov, a director from the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, said: “Now we are monitoring the situation in Moscow, and most importantly, Moscow may still have its own Moscow strains”.

Russian authorities have moved quickly to try and suppress the outbreak.