First wave of COVID-19 in Azerbaijan has not ended

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- Doctor, first, I would ask you to tell us about the situation. What is the current state of the fight against the disease? Is the situation changing for the better or will the dangerous situation continue?

- As you know, the quarantine rules have been softened and the "stay at home" quarantine rules have been canceled. However, almost all areas of social life are still frozen. Official data shows the number of registered COVID-19 patients is declining. One thing must be borne in mind: many people do not go to the doctor at all, since there is no room in hospitals. They themselves find a doctor; receive treatment at home without official registration. The number of such patients is much greater than the number of inpatients. From this point of view, we cannot only refer to official data. We still have to assess seriously the real situation.  We should not relax.

- The main question that interests people is how all the countries that declared quarantine at the same time as Azerbaijan were able to get out of the situation, but in Azerbaijan, the disease continues? What is the reason for this? What went wrong?

- The course of the pandemic in Azerbaijan was very specific. This is an indisputable fact. Because before the easing of quarantine, no briefing, no educational work was carried out. People felt free, broke free from the enclosed space to the streets. They did not follow quarantine behavior, did not wear masks, and did not respect social distance. This paved the way for enormous potential for infection. Realizing this, the government again announced a quarantine, but it was too late. Because, as I said, a great infectious potential has already been created. Today this process continues. In fact, because of many mistakes and miscalculations in quarantine management in Azerbaijan, the current situation continues. It is enough to compare Georgia and Azerbaijan.

- Recently, the number of cases among medical workers has been growing. According to the latest data, 37 doctors have died from the disease. What is the reason for this? Is there a lack of protective clothing, conditions, or are there some other reasons?

- Yes. Unfortunately, many people among medical workers who have been infected with this disease and died. More than a thousand medical workers fell ill. Among them are also paramedical personnel.  We have lost about 40 doctors. All these people were experts in their field. Each of them was a famous doctor in Azerbaijan. I will sincerely say that each of them was one of those who seriously fought the pandemic in Azerbaijan and were at the forefront of the fight against the disease. For a long time, they have been in excessive contact with the patients. Doctors had to stay in protective clothing on duty for 8 hours for several months. This was completely unacceptable. Even in civil defense, there is such a rule that the service life of clothing to protect against bacteriological weapons is 3-4 hours. However, the doctors had to wear it for eight hours. Naturally, there is an excess of the viral dose. In the hospital ward, doctors cleanse the patient's throat, intubate him, and are in direct contact with the patient at a distance of 20 cm. Of course, no protective equipment can cope with this within 8 hours, and it created such an infectious potential. One of the reasons for the severe course of the disease among doctors was also the ingestion of a large viral load of the titer.

- Health professionals have arrived in Azerbaijan from abroad. Is this an acknowledgment of the weakness of our medicine? Was it the right decision?

- Inviting health professionals from abroad to Azerbaijan is a completely wrong and rather strange step. There are certain corruption and other selfish interests behind this. There are enough rumors about this, and they are probably founded. According to the available data, doctors who have arrived from abroad are paid large salaries. That is, at the level of world standards. However, whether doctors receive this money is a question. According to available data, instead of one doctor, five people are recorded. Such things can be. There may be postscripts. Of course, this is a great disrespect for the activities of doctors in Azerbaijan. We do not pay our doctors, but write out a large salary for doctors who have arrived from abroad. All this shows that quite serious work is being done to take advantage of the pandemic, get rich and pursue selfish interests in this matter. This is a very sad fact, and it will be impossible to hide it. Sooner or later, all this will come to light.

- Many countries of the world that have already recovered from the disease are preparing for the second wave of the virus, but Azerbaijan is still struggling with the first wave. If the second wave begins, how will the situation develop in the world and in Azerbaijan, which is still struggling with the first wave?

- Unfortunately, the first wave of the disease in Azerbaijan has not ended. This is the specificity of Azerbaijan. We did not have proper quarantine management, because they thought about how to take advantage of the quarantine, and not how to manage it. For this reason, we are still experiencing the first wave. Because the first wave did not die out, an infection appeared, a huge amount of infectious potential appeared. Today we are still experiencing the consequences of this. It is difficult to say in advance how the second wave will proceed in Azerbaijan. In autumn colds of the upper respiratory tract can be added to this disease. The condition is expected to be dramatic. I think you need to be very careful. During this period, it is necessary to mobilize all forces and capabilities to recognize such patients, separate them from patients with COVID, and treat them in time.

- By the final decision of the Operations Headquarters, the permission for SMS canceled, the beaches opened, but trips to the regions are not allowed. Do you think this was the right decision? This summer, people could not relax in nature, could not go to the regions. Will this affect human immunity in the coming months?

-The last decision of the Operations Headquarters was half-hearted; at the same time, it was wrong. The “stay at home” quarantine has been lifted, but all areas of social life have remained frozen. Only beaches are allowed, but there is one point. If public transport is not allowed on weekends, how will poor people get to the beach? Not all decisions are deeply thought out, or such decisions are made for some purpose. The fact is that any activity is judged by its results. From this point of view, I consider the decisions half-hearted and meaningless. Keeping the population at home for 5 months in quarantine is the result incompetence. They could not build this work in Azerbaijan. As I said can be seen if we compare with the situation in Georgia.

As for travel to regions, the roads were supposed to open. The focus should have been on quarantine behavior. Tough decisions had to be made regarding the behavior of people in a closed environment - in markets, in shopping centers, in public transport, in the subway. Roads to the regions were to be opened, and all regions were to be activated. In fact, this was the most correct and optimal way. We, an independent group of doctors, have sent many proposals to the Operations Headquarters on these issues. Unfortunately, these proposals were overlooked.

- What would you suggest as a doctor in a situation, who sees truth and lies, as a citizen? What steps should be taken to prevent illness?

 - All experience shows that people in the world are in a state of migration. Currently, the world cannot be frozen. Just these reasons that create the second wave. Therefore, it is more important than a strict quarantine regime to observe quarantine rules - to observe social distance, wear masks, and observe hygiene rules. From this point of view, it is possible to fight this virus and live together, if all spheres of social life work. Unfortunately, the Operations Headquarters was unable to do this in time. It could not take advantage of useful ways, the experience of a global pandemic. It looks like there are other interests as well. Neighboring Georgia ruled correctly and achieved better results. The fact that today there are many losses and diseases in Azerbaijan testifies to the fact that, unfortunately, this work was not properly structured in our country. At least there should be a gradual mitigation after that. The delivery of doctors from abroad should be discontinued, and local doctors should be preferred. Unfortunately, nothing has been done in connection with the doctors who lost their lives in the fight against the disease. There were no government decisions on their social protection, compensation, and other issues. In a word, there is still a lot of work to be done in this area.