Ukraine is going the extra mile to keep its citizens safe during the novel coronavirus pandemic. No one can accuse President Volodymyr Zelensky and
his government of apathy.
Ukraine has banned public gatherings and shuttered schools, bars and restaurants. It closed the borders and halted intercity trains. It shut down
metro systems in an attempt to keep people from crowding into the overburdened public transport system.
Some steps — like closing restaurants — are going smoothly. Others are proving more difficult. For example, without a metro, many people crowded into buses and trams, hardly a better place to be during a viral pandemic.
There is no doubt that honest mistakes like this will be made as the country struggles to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But for all the efforts being
taken, there is one glaring problem: less than 700 people were tested.
In Ukraine, currently 26 people have tested positive for COVID-19, compared to 250,000 people infected worldwide. There have been three deaths in Ukraine compared to more than 10,000 around the world. It would seem that Ukraine is doing an excellent job of suppressing the spread. But many suspect the actual number of cases is higher — and they’re not wrong to doubt the official numbers. The problem here is that, in Ukraine, you can’t get tested for COVID-19 if you didn’t come into contact with an infected person. But you also don’t know who is potentially infected, because they too were denied a test.
Ukraine is going to great lengths to help its citizens. The government is spending over $4 million and commissioning at least 175 flights to bring Ukrainians home. It created an app where you can register and will be guided to the nearest plane. Daily memos are issued by the president, foreign ministry and a variety of health organizations. An interactive map of all closed border checkpoints is refreshed daily. Yet, some basics are forgotten.
Over 10,000 people are returning to Ukrainian daily. They only undergo a temperature check. Ukrainians watched live as 72 healthy people evacuated from Wuhan, back in February, were placed in quarantine for two weeks. Now, thousands come in without a proper check-up and aren’t forced into quarantine.
It’s hard to assess government actions if basic procedures such as mandatory quarantine and nationwide tests aren’t performed.
On March 19, a third person lost their life to COVID-19 in Ukraine. All three Ukrainians who died from the coronavirus only asked for medical assistance when they were already in critical condition, the health ministry says. But many more people may have flu-like symptoms and recover without being included in the overall count.
We are encouraged by the Zelensky administration’s decision to take action against coronavirus. It looks particularly good compared to Russia, which appears to be suppressing COVID-19 statistics, and Belarus, whose leader encouraged citizens to fight the virus by working in the fields.
But as much as the government is doing, it needs to do more. We can close all public transportation and public gatherings and deliver food from door to door, but as long as those who might be infected go without medical observation, the official COVID-19 count will remain low.
But, ultimately, the death rate will be much higher.
