WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2021) A US-based group of international pediatric cardiac surgeons had to delay a planned working trip to Russia in August due to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the city of Kemerovo, the organization's leader Bill Novick told Sputnik.
"Our trip was delayed by the Kemerovo colleagues because of too much COVID-19 there. We were supposed to be there by August 22, but had to postpone this visit due to the outbreak," Novick said.
The specialists from the Novick Cardiac Alliance had planned to operate on children with complex heart problems in Kemerovo.
"Usually, our Kemerovo group does a combination of really complicated and not so complicated cases. I would say, on average, we operate on 12 to 14 children during a two-week trip," Novick said.
The team had not set a specific date for the upcoming trip, but hopes it will happen sometime this year, he said.
"We will set the date in late fall, I think, probably in November-December and our colleagues in Kemerovo will let us know if we can come," Novick added.
The Novick Cardiac Alliance has conducted more than 400 surgeries in Russia since 2008. The group is comprised of medical specialists from different countries who usually work in different "hot spots" around the world. Previously, the Novick Cardiac Alliance performed surgeries in several Russian cities, including Voronezh and Nizhny Novgorod.
