Prognosis

Russia’s Underfunded Hospitals Emerge as Key Vector for Virus

One hospital in Yekaterinburg infected 78 patients and doctors
Number of regional cases growing as Moscow shows progress

Medical workers look out of a window at Yekaterinburg’s No 1 Central Municipal Clinical Hospital on April 20.Photographer: Donat Sorokin/TASS via Getty Images

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By Jake Rudnitsky and Henry Meyer

April 20, 2020 at 2:52 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Underfunded and poorly equipped, Russia’s regional hospitals and clinics are emerging as hot spots for transmission as the coronavirus outbreak spreads beyond the capital into the hinterlands.

In Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, a single doctor who became infected by a neighbor in his apartment building led to 78 cases in City Hospital Number 1, which is now under quarantine, regional governor Evgeny Kuyvashev said on his Instagram account Monday.