“We will lose thousands of lives”: adviser to the governor of the region about the omicron wave

Dmitry Zhebelev, a freelance adviser to the governor of the Perm Territory on social issues, told RBC Perm that during the wave of the omicron strain, about 7.5 thousand beds are planned to be deployed in the region, which is more than during the autumn peak of the incidence of covid-19 . At the moment, in the Kama region, an analysis is being made of the provision of personnel, PPE, oxygen, etc. However, there are no guarantees that the reserves will be enough. But there is another guarantee - a certain percentage of those infected will still die, no matter what medical care they receive, says Zhebelev.

“Without measures to reduce the number of infections and hospitalizations, not a single healthcare system in the world is ready for any issue related to the CORONAVIRUS, and even more so the Russian regional one. As we know, it is not yet the best on the planet. From what I know, there are small pluses for the healthcare system - we have started to prepare in advance compared to other waves, already now. In addition, we will be better prepared in any case in terms of experience in deploying beds. If there are no measures to reduce the number of infections and hospitalizations, we will still lose thousands of lives,” Dmitry Zhebelev said.

He noted that in comparison with other regions of RUSSIA, relatively “good” measures to combat the spread of coronavirus infection have been introduced in the Perm Territory, but there is a problem in the lack of control over their observance. According to the governor's adviser, in order to reduce the number of infections and hospitalizations, it is necessary to reduce the number of contacts, namely, to introduce restrictions on all public events, probably regardless of QR codes, so that more than 10 people do not gather in one room.

The next thing, according to Dmitry Zhebelev, is to impose restrictions on business. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure its support. Otherwise, the measures will not be followed. The latest option is a lockdown with financial support from the population, otherwise it will also not be observed.

In addition, it is necessary to increase the safety of contacts - use masks, distance and get vaccinated. The next point is to reduce the severity of diseases.