20.07.2020

Interview: Rector Petr Glybochko on the Sechenov's COVID-19 response

Interview: Rector Petr Glybochko on the Sechenov's COVID-19 response In an interview with the French magazine Valeurs Actuelles, Professor Petr Glybochko, Rector of Sechenov University, discusses the main challenges of COVID-19 in Russia and Sechenov’s response to them.

Russia is past the pandemic peak, and the worst seems to be over. How would you evaluate the measures that the Russian authorities took to cope with the crisis?

Today, we already see that the measures against coronavirus have given positive results. The overall situation in Russia is constantly improving, the number of new cases in Moscow and the Moscow Region continues to drop. However, the situation varies from region to region, there are places where COVID-19 is still spreading fast. But the peak is clearly over, and the accumulated knowledge should help eliminate the remaining infection clusters.

It is also important that Russia is increasing the number of coronavirus tests. We have one of the highest COVID-19 test rates worldwide. Russia is the only country that has not stopped testing as the pandemic progression slowed down. This strategy is crucial to avoid a large number of difficult cases. The earlier we diagnose and treat COVID-19, the better the prognosis tends to be. Some European countries have followed our example, which gives credit to the Russian strategy.

In France, doctors and other medical personnel have found themselves in a very difficult position. Their behaviour, in many cases, maybe considered heroic. What can you say about the situation in Russia?

It is the same here. Doctors are literally on the front line. As the leading medical school in the country, Sechenov University has been contributing to the treatment of patients in the worst times. During the Second World War, our University sent all its staff and students after their 4th year to hospitals. This year, we could not stay away either. Our Clinical Centre with its excellent doctors and researchers is one of the best centres of its kind in Russia and Europe. Our new COVID-19 hospital will be working for as long as needed.

All the doctors received additional online training in a very short time, now each of them can work as an infectiologist. We received great help from pulmonologists — during the training and the clinical work. Sechenov University has developed recommendations for the treatment of patients with coronavirus-related pneumonia.

During the pandemic, our doctors have been very supportive of each other. They have been working long hours, helping medical workers in other hospitals. It is particularly difficult because of the protective masks and gowns, which are hard to wear for a long time.

Do you think that the healthcare systems in the world and in Russia were prepared for a situation like the coronavirus pandemic?

The situation varies from country to country, but Russia’s healthcare system has withstood the coronavirus crisis. There were moments when we worked at the top of our abilities, but now it is over.

We have worked to improve public health (epidemiology, pulmonology, testing) and the healthcare system (hospital beds, personnel training, equipment). The hospitals were ready to admit everyone who needed in-patient treatment and high-standard medical help.

I believe the information for the general public has played a great role during the coronavirus pandemic — for example, the recommendations to keep social distance, wash hands, wear masks and gloves.

Do you think the quality of the treatment was relevant to the scope of the problem?

Yes, and Sechenov University used all its resources to fight against COVID-19. In April, the Russian Government ordered the deployment of 2,000 beds at the Sechenov University Hospital to provide medical care to patients with the coronavirus infection. The University’s Infectious Diseases Hospital has become one of the largest and best-equipped hospitals of its kind in the country.

We upgraded our hospital in just two weeks, installing all the necessary equipment to treat patients with the coronavirus infection. The hospital was provided with ventilators, oxygen stations, tomographs, personal protective equipment, respirators, and medications. We allocated resuscitation and intensive care units, clean and contaminated zones, and airlock gateways. We promptly resolved the personnel issue; 3,000 staff members provided the treatment to the patients, and they have been receiving support from the world’s leading researchers — pulmonologists, anaesthetists, and epidemiologists.

In our coronavirus hospital, we designated special teams of doctors (pulmonary, epidemiological, anaesthetic) to advise those who work directly with the patients. The teams created treatment protocols and determined the treatment strategy for each patient. This approach has proved effective and allowed us to combat the infection. We take pride in the fact that we have been able to keep a low mortality rate — thanks to the high professional level of our doctors.

COVID-19 Hospital

 Do you think that the international community will need help from Russia to fight COVID-19? Could it be the supply of medical equipment or the scientific research which could lead to the production of a vaccine? In your opinion, how far has Russia advanced in this?

The fight with the coronavirus is taking place everywhere, and we are always ready to offer our help. Regarding the research, Sechenov University is currently performing six clinical trials of the drugs for coronavirus treatment, and we are about to launch three more. In Russia, over 1,500 patients are to be recruited for coronavirus clinical trials. As one of the leading clinical and scientific centres in Russia, Sechenov University plans to recruit 100–150 patients, thus making a significant contribution to the development and study of drugs for COVID-19.

There’re several projects underway at our Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology — including collaborations with Russia’s leading pharmaceutical companies. The Institute conducts pre-clinical animal research and clinical trials in patients with the coronavirus infection. At the request of our doctors who work with such patients, the scientists of the Institute are designing original drugs, combinations, and new dosage forms for more effective treatment.

 There has been a lot of discussion about the inter-governmental relations during the pandemic. Have you been communicating with foreign colleagues on this issue?

International co-operation is very important for Sechenov University, we believe it to be a crucial part of the training that medical specialists should have. International exchange helps us develop the priority areas of medicine, provide highly qualified medical care, support the educational activity, and boost scientific research. For example, we recently hosted the first Taiwan–Russia Webinar 2020 on the Exchange of Experience on COVID-19, organised by Sechenov University and the Tri-Service General Hospital (TSGH) of Taiwan (China). It is one of the largest medical centres and an internship base for medical students.

At this event, about 40 experts in infectious diseases shared their experience in the treatment and prevention of nosocomial infections. Following the meeting, we made a decision to create a platform for comprehensive dialogue on the treatment strategy and prevention of epidemics.

What lessons should we learn from the experience of recent months?

The pandemic will be remembered as an extraordinary event and a serious threat to public health. Of course, it is necessary to analyse how the anti-epidemic efforts have been organised and to draw conclusions from that. At first, we faced lots of difficulties, as we knew very little about the new virus and how it spread. Then we focused on the previous epidemics—SARS 2002–2003, MERS-2012. But the scale of those epidemics was much smaller. This time we had to allocate a lot of hospital beds—and quickly.

It was not just a simple upgrade; we had to strictly follow all the requirements for infectious hospitals — isolation wards, special disinfection, and special medical waste disposal. Very few clinics experienced anything like that before.

What did you miss the most during the period of isolation when everyone was advised to stay home? And what will be the best thing that you do when the pandemic is over?

I believe in the true calling, you know. I am very happy to be a doctor and to make my contribution to public health. I think the people who choose medicine as their profession are dedicated to what they do, and this is what makes doctors work on the front line fighting against the coronavirus infection. I believe doctors should have a good heart, compassion, and a desire to help others.

Personally, when the pandemic is over, I will be happy to go back to my regular work — and travel with my family.

 In many countries, volunteers have been actively involved in the fight against the coronavirus. Was it the same in Russia? How significant was the help of the volunteers?

Volunteering at Sechenov University has been an important part of our activities for more than 10 years now. The students can get involved in our Volunteer Centre. During the pandemic, we saw that the number of those who wanted to make their contribution increased by 1.5 times, and now we have 250 volunteers.

From the very first days, they worked to address two important issues — assistance to the elderly and people with limited mobility (who stayed home during the pandemic) and assistance to the medical personnel at Moscow’s hospitals. Our volunteers worked at the Sechenov hospitals, the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kommunarka, City Clinical Hospital N15, and many other locations. Every day the number of volunteers is increasing, they are ready to join the team and help their colleagues — doctors and nurses.

Some of our volunteers process the requests from the elderly and prepare shopping lists for them. Other volunteers go shopping with these lists and deliver the necessary food, medications, and essential items directly to the doorsteps. Those who volunteer at hospitals are supervised by doctors and nurses and assist them by taking blood tests, delivering food to the patients, and filling out the appointment sheets.

Sechenov University encourages students to volunteer by providing increased scholarships and facilitating admission to clinical residency programmes.