Around two-thirds of Russian medics believe that the country is not ready for a second wave of the coronavirus, according to a survey published by the VTimes news website Thursday.
Russia is the world’s fourth-most affected country with more than 1.35 million confirmed cases of Covid-19. Its number of new coronavirus cases has nearly tripled from around 5,000 to a new record of over 14,000 in the course of a month.
According to a survey by the Doctor at Work physicians network cited by VTimes, 76% of regional medics and 57.3% of Moscow medics say Russia’s healthcare system is unprepared for the second wave.
When asked to specify what contributes to the lack of preparedness, an overwhelming majority (84%) said that Russian hospitals are understaffed, according to VTimes. The doctors also pointed to a lack of equipment including CT scanners and ventilators, hospital beds, as well as medicine and protective equipment.
When Doctor at Work asked the healthcare professionals whether they trust Russia’s official Covid-19 statistics, 74% said they don’t (85% in the regions and 63% in Moscow), VTimes reported.
The survey noted that 42.7% of medics in Moscow believe Russia’s healthcare system is prepared for the second wave, a view shared by 24% of their colleagues in the regions.
“Doctor at Work” conducted the survey among 789 healthcare professionals, 143 of them in Moscow and the rest across Russia’s regions, from Oct. 5-9.
