57 dead from COVID-19 in Ukraine, 1,892 infected

The number of officially confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ukraine has reached 1,892 as of 9 a.m. on April 9, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.

Fifty-seven people have died from the disease, an increase of 4 since the previous report on April 8. In all, 45 people have recovered since the beginning of the outbreak in Ukraine.

As of the morning of April 9, the largest number of coronavirus cases in Ukraine has been registered in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast (430 cases), Chernivtsi Oblast (302 cases), Ternopil Oblast (169 cases) and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (218 cases).

Over the last 24 hours, Ukraine has identified a record of 224 new COVID-19 cases.

Quarantine measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 will likely be extended until May, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on April 8.

However, 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.

Thirty-eight patients are on lung ventilators, Ihor Kuzin, acting head of the health ministry’s Center for Public Health, said during a briefing on April 9. 

He also explained that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, the most accurate method to test for COVID-19, uses samples from the nose or throat, while less accurate rapid tests use blood taken from the finger. Rapid tests are not recommended to diagnose the virus, Kuzin said. 

As of April 9, 37 state laboratories and three private ones are processing COVID-19 tests, he said. He also said that it is technically impossible to conduct mass testing and it is unnecessary, echoing an earlier statement by Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko on April 7.

On April 7, Lyashko 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 88,531 people as of April 9, and infected over 1.5 million people; 330,880  patients have recovered.

The United States, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France are struggling the most to curb the spread of the disease.