The number of officially confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ukraine has reached 1,668 as of 9.00 a.m. on April 8, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.
Fifty-two people have died from the disease, an increase of seven since the previous report on April 7. In all, 35 people have recovered since the beginning of the outbreak in Ukraine.
As of the morning of April 8, the largest number of coronavirus cases in Ukraine has been registered in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast (376 cases), Chernivtsi Oblast (273 cases), Ternopil Oblast (168 cases), and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (198 cases).
Over the last 24 hours, Ukraine has identified a record 206 new COVID-19 cases.
It is too early to say when the quarantine will end, as the country is on the verge of a peak in the spread of coronavirus, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said in a video released on ministry’s Facebook page on April 7.
Stepanov warned that the number of patients was sharply increasing to the point of overloading the medical system.
“To put it simply, the number of patients is increasing so much that there are not enough doctors to help them, nor medicines, nor beds in hospitals,” he said while thanking businesses and volunteers for their support.
Ukraine can conduct 30,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19 a day, but laboratories can only analyze 1,500 samples a day so far, the deputy health minister said in a briefing on April 7.
Lyashko also clarified the protocol to follow in cases of suspected COVID-19 infections, saying that an ambulance won’t come to test every suspected case. First, a patient should call a general practitioner, he said. Only after this consultation can the patient be tested for COVID-19 — either by the doctor or by a mobile testing brigade. The samples will then be analyzed in a laboratory.
In another briefing held the same day, he added that private laboratories and clinics, as well as all health facilities that have relevant licenses and capacity, would be allowed to conduct tests.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Ukraine is expected to reach its apex on April 14-15.
To prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the government has intensified quarantine measures starting on April 6. It is now forbidden to go out without medical masks and visit public places like parks, squares, recreation areas, forest parks and coastal zones.
People over 60 are required to stay home.
Globally, COVID-19 has killed 82,124 people as of April 8, and infected over 1.4 million people; 302,324 patients have recovered.
The United States, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France are struggling the most to curb the spread of the disease. These countries now have more registered COVID-19 cases than China, where the pandemic began.
CORONAVIRUS IN UKRAINE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- As of April 8: 52 people have died from COVID-19 in Ukraine; 35 people have recovered.
- 5 Ukrainians died from the novel coronavirus abroad; 15 recovered.
- 1,668 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine as of early April 8. The first case was identified on March 3.
- Ukraine has extended its quarantine measures until April 24.
- Infographic of quarantine measures in place until April 24.
- The measures shuttered most everything but hospitals, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, and other critical enterprises.
- How the Ukrainian government has been responding: TIMELINE
- Misinformation on coronavirus is going viral in Ukraine.
- Foreign Ministry: What you need to know about traveling to and from Ukraine now
- Why the Kyiv Post isn’t making its coverage free in the times of COVID-19.
- Coronavirus stops the Kyiv Post’s print edition for now.
- Where to buy masks.
Effects on the economy:
- COVID-19 is already inflicting harm on Ukraine’s economy.
- Invisible Threat Lurks Undetected: Top stories from March 27, 2020 PDF edition.
- The former minister of economy says half a million Ukrainians may lose their jobs in the COVID-19 crisis.
