The roundtable ‘Understanding and Defeating COVID-19: Diagnostic Tactics and Access to Medical Care’ was held in Moscow. It was broadcast live by the news channel Russia 24 and on the websites of TASS News Agency and Future Russia. National Projects portal, as well as on Vesti.ru portal and Doctor TV channel. The event was organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the Content Foundation for the Development of Expert and Analytical Activity.

Among the participants were Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko; Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing – Chief State Sanitary Physician of the Russian Federation Anna Popova; World Health Organization Representative to the Russian Federation Melita Vujnovic; Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Chekhonin; Head of the Department of Radiology of the MSU Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, President of the Russian Society of Radiology Valentin Sinitsyn; Professor of the Faculty of Health Sciences at The University of Sydney Patrick Brennan; Professor of the Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Translational Medicine at Sapienza University of Rome Andrea Laghi; Head of the Department of Radiology of University Hospital Brussels Johan De Mey; President Elect of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) Maurizio Cecconi; and President and CEO of GE Healthcare in Russia and the CIS Nina Kandelaki. The event was moderated by Evelina Zakamskaya, Editor-in-Chief of Doctor TV channel and Anchor of Russia 24

“The fight against the pandemic requires mobilization of all resources. It is crucial, more than ever, that the government, business and scientific community join efforts to promptly develop best measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to maintain public health. The effectiveness of these measures largely depends on self-isolation, and this is what each and every citizen is responsible for,” emphasized Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov.

During the event participants discussed both Russian and international experience in coronavirus testing as one of the key aspects of containing its spread. The discussion was focused on the issues of integrating radiology (in particular, computer tomography – CT) as a general testing method, as it is the most efficient internationally used method of identifying COVID-19 cases. Scientists and medical doctors from Italy, Belgium and Australia shared their experience and developments with their Russian colleagues. A substantial part of the discussion was devoted to the strategies of mobilizing resources of the healthcare system. Participants also noted the state measures aimed at implementing medical training programmes and developing guidelines on prevention, testing and treatment of the coronavirus.

Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing – Chief State Sanitary Physician of the Russian Federation Anna Popova presented the coronavirus statistics: “In Russia, around 5% of total cases are serious, with 15% diagnosed with pneumonia. Men and women are represented more or less equally. The self-isolation regime helped to slow down the spread of the coronavirus; today the daily increase in new cases is 7–8%.”

The roundtable was held as part of an event series on a unified communications platform that brings together government officials and business representatives to find the most effective ways of cooperating in the battle against the coronavirus. The platform was created by the Content Foundation and the Roscongress Foundation.

GE Healthcare is the general partner of the event.