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Coronavirus: The Russian republic enduring a 'catastrophe'
May 21, 2020
Dr Ibragim Yevtemirov still coughs every so often as he talks. A paediatric trauma surgeon in Dagestan, in the Caucasus region of southern Russia, his ward had been full of Covid-19 cases for a couple of weeks when he got infected himself.
He says seven colleagues in his town have now died, including nurses, orderlies and laboratory staff, according to a count kept by local medics themselves.
"All three doctors on my team got sick. We were replaced by dentists until we recovered," Dr Yevtemirov told the BBC by phone from Khasavyurt, where he's now back at work in the central hospital.
"At the peak, there were 10, 11 patients dying a day here," he says.
How Dagestan's disaster was revealed
The doctor's account of dire shortages and deadly chaos is just one, stark snapshot of a Covid-19 crisis in Dagestan so serious that the republic's chief mufti this week described it to President Vladimir Putin as a "catastrophe".
UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov issues coronavirus warning
Image caption Local Dagestanis put up checkpoints in an attempt to stop the spread
As the holy month of Ramadan ends this weekend, Akhmad Afandi has been urging people in the mainly Muslim republic not to gather to celebrate Eid with friends and extended family - as it may cause a further dangerous spike in cases.
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