I can't tell you exactly what I do for a living. I'm also not supposed to talk about this but there are certain things I need to share. If my superiors find out, I could be out of a job.
Its no secret that Russia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was inadequate. The Russian government declared the country had COVID under control and began lifting quarantine restrictions in May. Russia was lucky in that we saw a decrease in COVID cases over the summer. However, the government failed to take advantage of the low-season to prepare for the inevitable second wave. The second wave sure as hell happened. And, it hit hard. Especially in the remote regions.
I spent 2 months supporting health professionals in a rural part of Russia. What I saw was chilling.
Hospitals overflowing with dying patients. Corridors filled with body bags. Doctors passing out after being worked past exhaustion. Children begging to see their grandparents one more time.
I met a young woman. I will call her Marina. Her grandfather was sick. She begged us to admit her ailing grandfather. We had to turn them away. We didn't have any open beds. I saw her a week later when I was on break. She revealed her grandfather had passed away just three days after we turned him away.
We're so focused on developing this vaccine that we forgot to invest in healthcare infrastructure. There's not enough beds, not enough oxygen, not enough doctors, not enough medics.
This has disproportionally effected the poorer, more rural areas of Russia. Although spared by the first wave, they are now on the forefront of Russia's battle against COVID-19.
The Kremlin has refused to acknowledge the need to lockdown the country due to the second wave. Despite the morbid reality of the situation, they still say the pandemic is under control. My superiors refuse to call it the "second wave". When asked why, they refused to elaborate.