Agrafena Argunova, associate professor of the Medical Institute, chief visiting pulmonologist of the Ministry of Health of Yakutia, told about the work of specialists during the fight against a new coronavirus infection and about the profession of a pulmonologist.

There are only 60 pulmonologists in the republic - this is a significant number, the doctor said. No region has so many pulmonologists. Future specialists are trained in the clinical residency of the Medical Institute. Doctors, wishing to study in this specialty, can undergo initial retraining at the faculty of postgraduate education at NEFU Medical Institute within six months.

Infectiologists and pulmonologists have shown professionalism and good adherence to epidemiological norms in the fight against coronavirus infection, Agrafena Argunova noted: “COVID-19 is a new disease, no one has encountered it before. The first patients were in the infectious disease wards, and when there was the infected people flow, the doctors had to build a wall to isolate both the patients and themselves. And it helped: few people among doctors, medical staff, who worked in the red zone, got sick."

The chief visiting pulmonologist of the Ministry of Health of Yakutia pointed out that the human factor also plays an important role. “A doctor should have a kind, but at the same time cold and rational heart. A person can’t become a good doctor without love for mankind. I always tell my students and colleagues about this,” said Agrafena Argunova.

She also touched upon the topic of rehabilitation of those who have had a new coronavirus infection. According to the doctor, good nutrition and multivitamins are important. A person should receive a sufficient amount of vitamins D, A, E and C with food. It is also necessary to do breathing exercises. It is optimal, according to the doctor, to practice Nordic or regular walking.