The first kazakh-american COVID – 19 treatment webinar organized by MIT
MIT gathered on one web site top managers and leading doctors of the Johns Hopkins Institute, organizers of the healthcare system and doctors – clinicians from the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary took part in the webinar
Of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the USA, Yerzhan Kazykhanov, Consul General in San Francisco,
Azamat Abdraimov, as well as the First Vice Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Marat Shoranov. For two and a half hours, the speakers talked about the covid – 19 treatment algorithm, which was developed at the Johns Hopkins Institute and became the main one for the entire American healthcare system. The audience of the webinar, which for Kazakhstanis became a fruitful end of the day, and for Americans – a working morning, was 260 participants.
ang Minye: Moderator, M.D., Chief International Health Consultant:
– This is the first webinar between the United States and Kazakhstan in this regard. I think this will be an opportunity to improve cooperation between our two countries so that we can overcome the problems and challenges of covid – 19. And, subsequently, work together on other issues. I would like to thank Mr. Yerzhan Kazykhanov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States,
Consul General in San Francisco, Azamat Abdraimov. Also, I would like to thank the head of the Johns Hopkins division, Mr. Charles Wiener and the sponsor, organizer of the webinar – the company “Medico – Innovative Technologies” and Mikhail Guterman.
The importance of Kazakh – American cooperation in the new realities was noted by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States of America, Yerzhan Kazykhanov:
– It is very important to note that Johns Hopkins University has become a global leader in monitoring and providing appropriate treatment protocols for this virus. We thank you for your contribution, for the relevant work, whose noble experience and work has saved millions of lives and now you are at the forefront of the fight against this disease. The pandemic is now the main test for many countries around the world.
The ambassador said that our country highly appreciates the support of Washington and remembers with gratitude about the help – the United States sent more than 6.2 million dollars. Advisory assistance is no less valuable – the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan attaches great importance to bilateral cooperation, noting the exceptional contribution of the Johns Hopkins Institute to the world experience in combating covid. First – Vice Minister, Marat Shoranov:
“While coping with the pandemic remains critical to the world’s health systems, we understand that this is not the last health emergency the world may face. It is important not to lose the capacity that we have built up and to ensure long-term preparedness for emergencies, current and new challenges in the health sector. Kazakhstan is ready to continue cooperation in the interests of preventing and promptly detecting new cases of corona virus infection.
Dr. Benjamin Bodnar, Director of Quality and Safety, Hospital Medicine, Hopkins School of Medicine, spoke on the tactics of managing patients at different stages of medical care and at different periods of illness. He focused on the indications for hospitalization, predicting the risks associated with infection, treating patients at home and in the hospital. In addition, Dr. Bodnar highlighted the issues of identification and prevention of complications and provided relevant data on the effectiveness of the use of various types of treatment:
– What is the indication for hospitalization? The first thing we do is we determine if the patient has serious symptoms of the disease. At Hopkins, we don’t just quarantine patients and constantly give them PCR tests, as was the case, for example, in China. No, we are pursuing a different tactic. We admit patients if we see hypoxia, we observe renal failure or venous thromboembolism. If such clinical manifestations are present, it is necessary to be hospitalized. And, a very important question that arises before all the specialists of the hospital: what to do with the patient when he is diagnosed with covid, but he does not have a severe course of the disease. Should such a patient be sent home or hospitalized? This is a dilemma that all doctors face. Yes, there is a risk that a patient with covid will be admitted to the hospital again. The question is, what is the level of risk and what are your resources before admitting a person to the hospital.
Dr. Scott Stephens, Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, gave a presentation on the management of COVID-19 in the ICU. He reviewed the issues of respiratory support for patients with coronavirus infection, the features of acute respiratory syndrome in covid – 19. Next, he considered the issues of drug treatment and planning the need for intensive care. Scott Stevens paid much attention to oxygen therapy, non-invasive and invasive ventilation, as well as the use of ECMO in patients with COVID-19.
Lisa Ishii, Head of Hospital Processes and Strategy during the Pandemic and Senior Vice President of Operations for the Johns Hopkins Health System, highlighted organizational issues in her presentation. She talked about how the principles and approaches developed at Hopkins have been able, in general, to help the American health care system cope with the pandemic. She stressed that the Hopkins hospitals were helped by tough management decisions, constant monitoring of the situation, instant response and a well-organized warehouse system for masks, protective equipment and equipment, which was established even before the pandemic. At Hopkins, at its peak in November, 7,000 people were tested per week.
When asked by the Kazakh side how to organize hospitalization so as not to stop planned operations, Lisa Ishii said that in Hopkins, the number of surgical beds was not reduced. But, during the wave, they were reduced by 10 – 15%. Instead of canceling operations, in exceptional cases, they did express testing if surgical patients did not have PCR.
The overall message of the webinar was clearly expressed by Charles Wiener, President of the Johns Hopkins International Center for Medical Research. He stressed that the world will not cope with covid until it unites and does everything possible to effectively vaccinate.
According to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in the first 10 days of February, 12,000 people were vaccinated in our country. In the coming days, the republic is waiting for the registration of the Sputnik V vaccine, the production of which will begin at the Karaganda Pharmaceutical Plant. First vice minister, Arman Shoranov said that, at the same time, work is underway to develop a domestic vaccine. According to him, it has already shown an efficiency of up to 96% and, according to the forecasts of the Ministry of Health, will be available on the market at the end of April.
Webinar participants noted that the United States and Kazakhstan are working in close partnership on several programs, including taking long-term efforts to combat HIV and tuberculosis. A webinar on covid treatment algorithms, organized with the support of Medico – Innovative Technologies, may become the beginning of a new practical area of bilateral cooperation.
“Medical Innovations & Technologies” LLP
