Why has the daily death rate from the coronavirus increased in Odessa and abroad? Has the age category of people suffering from COVID-19 changed? What are the rates of vaccination in the city? About this and much more in an exclusive interview with "ElitExpert", Acting Levon Nikohosyan, Director of the Department of Health Care of the Odessa City Council.
— Today, Ukraine is in second place in Europe in terms of daily deaths from the coronavirus. And in the Odesa region, 27 people died in the past day, September 18. 431 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the region. Why has the death rate from coronavirus increased so much?
- This is due to two factors. The first is that people are not vaccinated. Out of 100% of those admitted to our hospitals with coronavirus, 98% are not vaccinated. For example, yesterday, September 27, 48 people arrived, of which three people were vaccinated, but one of those three was vaccinated only with the first dose, and on the fifth day, he may not have developed antibodies yet. And the second factor is self-medication. People are admitted to hospitals, mostly in an advanced state. That is, people treat themselves at home for two weeks, buy some medicines, and then, when they already have 40-50% lung damage, they start entering our hospitals.
— Over the past weekend, 10 vaccinations against the coronavirus were administered in Odessa mass vaccination centers. Now the Cabinet of Ministers is starting to introduce mandatory vaccination for employees of educational institutions, employees of ministries and other central executive bodies and their structural subdivisions, as well as local state administrations. Based on this, the majority of those vaccinated this weekend are teachers and civil servants?
— In general, most of the teachers were vaccinated by September 1. According to our data, only one school remained for this weekend. It is hoped that people will start to change the way they think about their health. First of all, it is necessary to understand that we do vaccination not for work, not for a trip abroad, but to protect our health. And when people's psychology will be dominated by the opinion that they need to take care of their health, they will trust the vaccines that are available in Ukraine, then we will have not only 10 thousand vaccinated, but much more. Moreover, I want to remind you that today Ukraine is one of the most democratic countries, because it offers people a choice of vaccines.
— Since last week, the yellow restriction zone has been in effect. Earlier, the government predicted a new lockdown for the fall. How soon can we get into the orange or red restricted zone?
— We can be in the orange or red zone any day if COVID spreads at such a rate. You and I see every day how much morbidity there is. As of this morning, + 6 people have become ill, and only about 552 people have recovered.
Today, the only "pill" against the coronavirus is vaccination. In addition, the use of protective equipment: wearing masks, distance, washing hands. And then we can protect ourselves.
— What is the occupancy rate of beds in the city now?
— Very many people are contacting. Today, the outbreak of covid-62 has subsided a little, because the city government has opened new beds and introduced oxygen to our hospitals. Now there are 5 free places in the infectious disease hospital, with oxygen connected there. There are 49 beds in the 1th city hospital. That is, practically in the city there are about a hundred free places. And these are the hospitals of the second stage - the 8st, 10th and XNUMXth hospitals - which are not yet involved. Also, the new department, which was opened on Lidersovsky Boulevard at the end of the summer, was not used. There are places, but you need to understand that you need to be vaccinated and protect yourself so that you don't end up in hospitals.
— And the volunteer Kateryna Nozhevnikova said that in Odesa, due to the large number of patients with the coronavirus, there were no more places in intensive care units...
— What does "no resuscitation places" mean? The main thing is that there is a place for oxygen. And it is possible to install ventilators in the ward. And it will also be intensive care. Today, as of the morning, there are resuscitation places. Yes, you can organize a resuscitation place quite calmly.
— What age group of people is most susceptible to disease today?
— Unfortunately, these are elderly people. Firstly, due to the fact that they already have chronic diseases. The coronavirus is not terrible in itself, as a disease, it is terrible because it affects chronic diseases. After that, people with chronic diseases, such as oncology, kidney failure, diabetes, vascular pathology, are very difficult to get out of these conditions.
— What strain of coronavirus is currently prevailing in the city and in Ukraine?
— In addition to Delta, there are other strains of the coronavirus. But Delta, due to the fact that this strain spreads much faster, now more. But for the doctor, it doesn't matter what strain it is: the treatment methods will be the same. The main thing here is not to engage in self-medication. It is necessary to immediately consult a specialist, who will immediately prescribe the appropriate treatment.
- What is so terrible about the Delta strain?
- It is extremely contagious, it spreads much faster, and it proceeds in a completely different way: headaches of an incomprehensible nature begin, a sharp increase in temperature. In addition, it affects the lungs, mostly in the young population. If before covid affected people 60+ years old, today Delta affects people from 25 to 40 years old. Now many seriously ill patients of this age category have begun to arrive.
— In principle, the impression is created that the state is fighting only with covid. However, the main causes of mortality in Odessa are still oncology and cardiovascular diseases. What is being done in Odessa to reduce morbidity and is this area of health care not "sag" if all efforts are directed at fighting the coronavirus?
— Renovation of the cardiology department in the 10th city hospital is currently underway. I hope we will open it soon. That is, our planned repair work continues. The cardiology department in the 11th hospital will be open next hour. Today, my husband and I toured our reception departments. Let me remind you that we opened such in the 1st, 10th and 11th hospitals. By the end of the week, these new reception departments will earn 100%. They are already working at the Jewish hospital. We are not stopping for a second, we are opening new cardiology departments precisely in emergency hospitals. And we arrange them so that they are located in different areas of our city for the convenience of patients. Appropriate equipment is also purchased.
Also under the "Major construction" program, we received new computer tomography machines in the 10th and 11th hospital. Odessa residents will be examined there for free. So systematic work is underway.
— Another hot topic is the situation with false vaccination certificates. Does the city fight against such swindlers?
First of all, this is the work of law enforcement agencies. We are working on it together with them, but I do not understand our people. I believe that those who buy fakes should be fined and held accountable. After all, if the state provides free vaccination, and the city has organized accessible vaccination centers, why turn to fraudsters? Today, anyone can get vaccinated within walking distance of their home. Why is it necessary to look for ways not to get vaccinated, to look for some "left" certificates? In order to be stopped at the border? Why put your health at risk? And above all, I believe that such people are undermining the country's national security today.
We are working on this problem together with border guards and law enforcement agencies. We give them our data. And as soon as responsibility for the forgery of vaccination certificates is introduced, and I hope that the Verkhovna Rada will pass this law in the near future, believe me, it will go away.
— What is your main task for the near future?
- We have only one task - to vaccinate as many people as possible to protect our residents.
