Extreme situation and challenges of the time

Introduction. In the XXI century cases of emergence of extreme situations in the world, including in Russia, associated with natural, man-made, social disasters, have become more frequent, requiring urgent adequate decisions from society, politicians, scientists responsible for the fate of people. An extreme situation is an extraordinary situation that goes beyond the usual framework. In this sense, it is a new social reality at a given time, different from the commonplace, everyday life. It can be individual, when a person is left alone in a position of self-isolation, and public, when it concerns the masses, society, humanity. Methods. In the process of the study, a dialectical materialistic, synergistic method was used, which made it possible to draw objective, scientifically substantiated conclusions about the need and possibility of overcoming the negative consequences of incompetent, unqualified decisions in response to the challenges of the time. A systematic approach and a comprehensive assessment of the processes under study allow us to reveal the contradictory nature of the extreme: on the one hand, it shows the mobilization capabilities of the authorities in order to find an effective response to the challenges of the time, on the other hand, it allows us to evaluate the country’s health system from the point of view of effectiveness. Discussion and Conclusion. The expected effect of a critical analysis of the extreme situation associated with the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in Russia was a fairly timely response from the country’s leadership, as a result of which a professionally grounded concept of responding to the challenge was presented: an increase in health care financing, doctors’ salaries and medical workers, activization of scientists on the removal of vaccination against coronavirus, etc.