Belarusian Doctor: My Mom, Dad And Grandpa "Burned Out" From COVID Literally In Two Weeks

The new wave has caught the Ministry of Health in disarray.

Recently, the Belarusian authorities began saying that "the situation with COVID-19 in the country has improved." However, independent media and bloggers publish daily reports that do not correspond to what the Ministry of Health says.

A doctor of a regional hospital working in the "red zone" said in an interview with Charter97.org that the COVID-19 epidemic in Belarus continues to claim hundreds of lives every day:

- We, to be honest, have not felt the improvement in the COVID-19 situation that the authorities are talking about. There are a lot of heavy patients, not enough hands, people are still dying. The new trend of this wave is very young people in serious condition. Even patients who are not yet 40 are dying. Young children are getting sick. Obviously, there are no severe cases among them, but they are carriers of infection, because kindergartens and schools are still open.

The epidemic process is very dynamic and can't be considered separately from the developments in neighboring countries, as well as within Belarus. Russia is now setting anti-records for deaths, and we have no real borders with this country. Plus there is a definite problem with "tourists" from the Middle East.

This is a complex equation with many unknowns: weather conditions, seasonal diseases, and human activity. The authorities are eager to substitute the wish for the reality, but at the moment there is nothing to be optimistic about. If they have a "plateau" or "recession" somewhere, let them come to our hospital and see what is happening in the "red zone".

- Was the Belarusian health care system ready for the new wave of COVID-19?

- The new wave caught everyone in disarray. We were expecting and preparing for a surge at the end of October, but serious problems started as early as September. Russia went up in flames, and we followed. Plus a lot of people talk about the factor of migrants who flooded our malls and stores.

I have big questions about whether these people have vaccines, negative PCR tests and whether they stay isolated when they come to our country. My colleagues and I once looked at statistics (how much you can believe it - that's a question) specifically on countries like Iraq, Syria. So, the peak of their incidence was at the beginning of August 2021. It was at that time that the serious transit of "tourists" from this region to our country began. At the same time we saw a huge increase in the number of patients with the "delta" strain of COVID-19.

Yet the biggest problem today is the lack of staff. We have one doctor for every 20 patients. There is a serious shortage of nurses. Sometimes doctors have to do the procedures that nurses are supposed to do. Precious time that could have been devoted to more serious cases is wasted. This leads to death, because in our profession, sometimes minutes and sometimes seconds are crucial. For example, in our hospital, we simply did not have time to intubate a heavy patient because the doctor was with other patients. There were not enough hands, and the person died.

- There are a lot of news in the media showing footage of fresh graves, of excavators digging graves. Does this footage reflect what is happening in the "red zones" of hospitals?

- I would not want to sound alarmist, but sometimes the media picture is an understatement. There are hundreds of people dying every day in the country. There are cities where there has been real "coronavirus hell." Serious problems have been recorded, for example, in Vorsha, Vileika, Zhodzina, Brest, Vitsebsk. There is also real horror in Minsk. Open the obituaries, look at the number of fresh graves. Famous people die: scientists, artists, doctors, officials. It is not very professional to talk about personal things, but in this COVID-19 wave I lost three loved ones at once: my grandfather, mother and father. To my shame, I could not persuade them to get vaccinated, even though I am a doctor. The people close to me "burned out" in literally two weeks. My grandfather did not even regain consciousness. No amount of personal acquaintances, connections, or intensive care helped.

My wife has a similar story in the village she comes from. People were dying there by the entire families. I know there are hundreds of such stories in our country. The new wave has killed more people than last year, frankly speaking.

- There has been a lot of talk about the so-called coronavirus surcharges that Belarusian doctors get for working in "red zones." Did you feel that your labor is better paid?

- In the first wave we had good money, but then some cheating started. People who had direct contact with infected people, who risked their lives, were simply deceived. You know, Belarusian doctors understand perfectly well that the situation is critical, and that the profession of a doctor is in many ways not about money, but about mission, about serving people. However, the pettiness of the authorities, who are ready to stoop to mean machinations, so that a person does not receive this money, is simply disgusting.

Instead of the help we need, doctors have to fight both the coronavirus and the stupid actions of the authorities.

- What kind of assistance is needed by the Belarusian medics today? The countries of the West have stated that they are ready to help us, including - with the vaccines. Why don't the authorities want to accept the support?

- Someone wants desperately to look like a "macho" who bursts into the "red zone" without a mask and "does not hide in a bunker". Another issue is that he has long been vaccinated and only sets himself up to be a hero. We are losing thousands of lives because of one man's complexes and mental disorders.

Those vaccines, which the West could have given us, would unequivocally have saved the situation. Not everyone trusts Chinese and Russian medications. The possibility to travel abroad freely, since Western vaccines are approved in EU countries, would be decisive for a lot of people.

However, you heard it yourself: oppositionists will get vaccinated with Western vaccines in order to travel to the West and get some instructions there. In fact, it's much simpler than that: it's an artificial way to stop migration and the ability of people to travel to Poland or Lithuania. The authorities want us to sit in Belarus and slowly die out. Especially the elderly people, because unloading the pension fund is a great bonus for the bankrupt government.

- Is it possible to reverse the course of the epidemic today?

- I have little faith in the ability of the authorities to take drastic actions, but these are the things that can save hundreds and thousands of lives right now. It is inconsistency and the creation of faulty behavior patterns that have led to this tragedy.

No one knew how to fight this contagion, but instead of learning and adopting the best practices of leaders in dealing with the epidemic, we were slipping into the Middle Ages. Those stories about the "tractor" and "vodka" are from there. Once the doctors' panacea for all diseases was "bloodletting," and those pieces of advice are akin to this very procedure, which has killed hundreds of people. Sometimes it seems that Roman doctors had a better understanding of medical processes than Lukashenka has.

The stupid willfulness with the masks, when an important quarantine event is cancelled because of one madman, is also from the Middle Ages. The circus, where "villeins" take off their masks before entering the "lord's" office, is not from the 21st century, but something from the times of serfdom.

- We obviously can't rely on the authorities, but what can we do to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our families?

- Radically reduce your circle of communication. Stay in the family circle, do not visit friends, do not visit your elderly parents, do not go to places where people gather. Now the holidays are approaching - do not make big parties, it can have a tragic outcome. The authorities will not impose the lockdown that society needs so much for the New Year, so think about your elderly parents. It might be better to congratulate them by phone.

If possible, it's a good idea to stay home. Take a sick leave or time off. But most importantly, wear masks and get vaccinated. The medicine hasn't invented anything more effective today. Everything is heading in the direction that we will have to get vaccinated for the third time, as Israel has done, which is today an example for many countries in the fight against COVID-19. Lots of Belarusians have not even had their first dose. I understand the fears and doubts about the Russian and Chinese vaccines, but today it is the only way to get the so-called collective immunity, which can stop the progression of the epidemic.

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