Alexander Ozhigov, second-year student at the Faculty of Preventive Medicine of the Ural State Medical University (USMU), knows firsthand about working in the “red” zone, where patients with coronavirus infection are being treated. He has been working for more than a year at the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Ekaterinburg, where in April an outbreak of COVID-19 happened. Find out about the attitude of the medical student to what is happening and the new working conditions in our material.

Alexander Ozhigov:

I have a secondary medical education, and I work as an anesthesiology nurse at the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1. I made a decision to work there last year as everyone was recommending this place to me for a good team and it was also interesting to me for getting to know about intensive care.

My working day today: first I go into the clean zone and spend some time there until it is my turn to go to the “red” zone. There I put on a protective suit and go to work with patients. Then, when I go out, they spray me, I take off my PPE and put it in a special container, go to the shower and change clothes.

In fact, regular work is the same as usual. We do not have any critical patients, so we do not work with SARS specifically. As before, we help our specialized patients, only now some of them are COVID-contact, and some of them have confirmed coronavirus status.

At first it was hard to work in a protective suit, but in the end, I got used to it. It is quite heavy in itself but at the same time does not let anything through. And you can’t remove it while you are in the “red” zone.

I have and adequate outlook on the current conditions – how else could it be? The situation is clear to me. Someone must work. Our conditions are quite good: we stayed in a hotel for a long period, we were taken to work by bus, provided with good food. Now those who are able to isolate themselves alone have been released. They should be at home and the district doctor will come and take smaples for tests.

In such work, I see one big plus – an experience. Well, of course, there will be something to remember later.

I have long dreamed of becoming a doctor, I pursued this for a very long time: after 9th grade I enrolled into a medical college and then worked for a long time. I looked at doctors there and wanted to master this profession. So I’m gradually moving towards my goal.