Dr Rimma Kamalova, head of the rheumatology department at Juvatova Republican Clinical Hospital, said that her hospital's management neglected her warnings regarding an unknown pneumonia outbreak last March.
On the day that the hospital had more than 50 people admitted for planned procedures was also the day that employees discovered a dead patient was positive for the coronavirus as can be seen on records.
Not the sole victim
Along with Dr Kamalova, the rest of the 1,200 staff members and patients were trapped inside as the hospital was ordered quarantined. A few days later, she continued to work despite developing a fever, having only her intravenous line to rely on.
Dr Kamalova also shared in a telephone interview they had no choice but to continue working and treating patients, all the while giving themselves drips and taking short rests in between, before repeating the cycle over again as reported by the New York Times.
On Monday, the sudden rise of coronavirus patients in Russia placed it as the third-highest rate of cases in the world, overtaking that of Italy and Britain. The news came along just before President Vladimir Putin could issue an update regarding the country's situation with the COVID-19.
While the nation celebrates the efforts of medical workers that are hailed as heroes, the increasing number of coronavirus infections result in a similar increase of diseases and deaths within the medical community.
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According to a website dedicated to memorializing the deaths of health care workers have listed more than 180 casualties in the community.
The increased risk is further aggravated by the lack of personal protective equipment available to medical workers. The shortcoming reveals Russia's apparent lack of preparation were problems that began a month ago have still been resolved.
A staggering number of cases
One of Moscow's top hospitals has reported more than 75% of the department's personnel has been infected with the virus. St. Petersburg revealed 1,465 front liners had become hosts to the virus which counted for more than a sixth of the total cases in the city.
On Wednesday, Mikhail Mursahko, Russia's health minister, shared that 400 hospitals around the country have reported a coronavirus outbreak.
According to Mercury News, the number of new infections rose by 11,656 in the past 24 hours alone, bringing the total number to 221,344. The only other places in the world which surpass this number are Spain and the United States.
The focal point of the casualties is in Moscow, which contains more than half of that country's total cases and deaths. The Russian capital reported on Monday a surge of 6,169 new cases overnight, raising the total tally to 115,909.
The reports come along with the country's coronavirus response centre detailing an additional 94 deaths, for a total death toll of 2,009. While the number is high, Kremlin critics said it is at a lower rate compared to many countries.
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