Ukraine has registered 4,286 new cases of COVID-19 as of 9 a.m. on Feb. 17, bringing the total number of cases in the country since the start of the pandemic to over 1.2 million.
In the past 24 hours, 5,927 COVID-19 patients have recovered and 147 have died.
Over 1.1 million people have recovered from COVID-19 and 24,689 have died since the pandemic hit Ukraine.
There are currently 127,320 active cases in Ukraine.
In the past 24 hours, Ukrainian laboratories have carried out 25,782 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and 16,647 antibody tests. Over 6.5 million PCR tests have been conducted since the start of the pandemic.
The largest numbers of new cases have been recorded in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (646), Chernivtsi Oblast (386), the city of Kyiv (366), Vinnytsia Oblast (351) and Zakarpattia Oblast (275).
Ukraine’s daily new COVID-19 cases and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the most accurate way of diagnosing the novel coronavirus, between Jan. 1, 2020 and Feb. 16, 2021. All data was released by the Ministry of Health.
On Jan. 25, Ukraine reopened after the lockdown that has been in place since Jan. 8. The work of all non-essential businesses has now resumed.
Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said that the ministry had no plans to impose a new lockdown in March or April because the January lockdown yielded good results and stabilized the situation.
The country went back to the adaptive quarantine measures that had been in force since before the January lockdown. Under the quarantine that is set to last at least until Feb. 28, mass gatherings like concerts and parties are limited to 20 people, restaurants can work until 11 p.m., and the policies on masks and social distancing remain in force in all public spaces.
According to the law passed by the government on Jan. 13, when employees notice a customer without a mask, they have to stop servicing them and call the police if the person refuses to put on their mask. A mask has to cover both the nose and mouth.
While numerous countries started vaccinating their citizens in mid-December, Ukraine will start in February.
Ukraine’s daily COVID-19 cases, deaths and recoveries from Jan. 1, 2021 to Feb. 16, 2021. All data was released by the Ministry of Health.
On Feb. 13, Viktor Lyashko, chief sanitary doctor and deputy health minister, said that the first batch of the vaccine will arrive in Ukraine this week and the country will start vaccination immediately.
However, on Feb. 16, Stepanov said that the country postponed the vaccination due to “logistical and bureaucratic issues,” and expects vaccination to start at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
As part of the global COVAX initiative, Ukraine will receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in February, followed by up to 3.7 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine within six months. Medical workers who treat COVID-19 and front-line troops in eastern Ukraine will be the first in line for free vaccination.
Read also: Everything to know about COVID vaccination in Ukraine
According to a survey by Rating sociological group, 52% of Ukrainians would not take the coronavirus vaccine, even if it was free.
