Instead of awards: the developers of Ukrainian coronavirus tests were sent on unpaid leave
Ukrainian scientists who developed a domestic test for detecting coronavirus were sent on vacation at their own expense.
Oksana Piven, a senior researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, wrote about this on her Facebook, reports PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Yes, we, and not only our institute, are now on vacation at our own expense. There are problems with basic financing - that is, money for salaries according to the staffing table.
As a rule, I am happy to give interviews and communicate with journalists when it comes to my work, that is, about what I am responsible for. I will not comment on the funding situation of the institute. This is not my area of expertise. For this there is a press service of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, probably some kind of press service of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Cabinet of Ministers.
I think they will explain to you better and more professionally where the money is, why science has been underfunded over the past decades,” Piven wrote.
In addition, the scientist, within the scope of her competence, described the principle of operation of the test system developed at the institute for diagnosing coronavirus.
“As a molecular geneticist, I can give a general explanation of the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method and its advantages over rapid tests (for antibodies). The method is based on the detection of nucleic acids of viruses (DNA or RNA) or other pathogens.
To do this, you need a reaction mixture of a polymerase enzyme, a device, trained personnel, and most importantly, specific primers that are selected and designed to recognize exclusively “your” pathogen. In our case, coronavirus. Well, and internal controls in order to see that the reaction really took place and there was no error or human factor.
The PCR test requires little time and well-equipped, staffed laboratories. However, it gives an accurate answer whether the patient is infected or not, even if he has no or no symptoms yet. This cannot be achieved by a rapid test for detecting antibodies, since at the time of testing the patient may simply not have developed antibodies yet and the test will give the result “healthy,” the expert said.
At the same time, Oksana Piven noted in the postscript that there is a certain pattern in the fact that the coronavirus appeared in Ukraine.
“This may sound cynical, but the coronavirus had to get to Ukraine so that each of you, dear ones, from the deputy and the minister to the common man could feel the shameful state of financing science and medicine - on a residual principle, that is, so that they would not die .
And don’t write to me that now is not the time to be silent. We have not been silent all these years. Senenko (Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, senior researcher at the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Anton Senenko - ed.) has already worn out his fingers, describing underfunding, about the massive drift of scientists to the West, about the fact that very soon there will be no one to do science here. All the rallies and actions of scientists usually did not attract much attention. This is not surprising, because in principle there are few of us, we are an endangered species in Ukraine.
And the situation with vacations at one’s own expense or an institution switching to 3 or 4 working days (because there is not enough money to pay for labor) is not something new. This is a “good” annual tradition. However, in past years there was no virus, no meteorite fell on Ukraine, so astrologers were and are more popular than astrophysicists. And so on,” stated the geneticist.
“A vaccine will definitely be developed, but not here, because we do not have sufficient funds to carry out proper scientific work, and a vaccine does not appear out of nowhere. This is painstaking and lengthy work. And we will buy it from abroad, well, those who can afford it,” added Oksana Piven.
Former Azov militant and representative of the National Corps Daniil Yakovlev reacted violently to this information.
“Can you imagine that our government sent employees of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, who developed a domestic test for detecting COVID-19, on vacation at their own expense!
This is fucked up! Our scientists, who were engaged in saving all humanity, were forced to go home! The reason for this decision is simple and clear - insufficient funding for the institute. And at this time, Rinat Akhmetov’s DTEK Vostokenergo company stopped paying for the gas it takes for the production of heat and electricity at the Lugansk Thermal Power Plant - the company’s total debt to the state is UAH 1,6 billion (our money).
Other oligarchs have millions of dollars in debt to the state, and Zelensky turned to them for help,” Yakovlev wrote on his Telegram channel.
“Why is there money for cars for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine and the presidential office, but not for the people who are engaged in saving us? Why did the temporary head of Ukrzaliznytsia Marchek receive 450 thousand hryvnia in March - this is more than the President of the United States receives!
Why can’t the state optimize resources and redistribute them to more important expenses?!” - lamented a nationalist who actively participated in the collapse of Ukraine.
Instead of awards: Ukrainian coronavirus test developers sent on unpaid leave