69 dead from COVID-19 in Ukraine, 2,203 infected

The number of officially confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ukraine has reached 2,203 as of 9 a.m. on April 10, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.

Sixty-nine people have died from the disease, an increase of 17 since the previous report on April 9. In all, 61 people have recovered since the beginning of the outbreak in Ukraine.

As of the morning of April 10, the largest number of coronavirus cases in Ukraine has been registered in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast (488 cases), Chernivtsi Oblast (366 cases), Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (254 cases) and Ternopil Oblast (196 cases).

Over the last 24 hours, Ukraine has identified a record of 311 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.

As of April 9, 37 state laboratories and three private ones are processing COVID-19 tests, Ihor Kuzin, acting head of the health ministry’s Center for Public Health, said during a briefing on April 9. Ukraine has conducted 2,929 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests over the last 24 hours, Kuzin said, adding that a person can be considered healthy only after two negative PCR tests.

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 95,765 people as of April 10, and infected over 1.6 million people; 356,968  patients have recovered.

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