Employee of state defense company UkrOboronProm dies of coronavirus

A worker at Ukraine’s state-run arms production giant UkrOboronProm has died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to the company’s deputy director-general Mustafa Nayyem.

“Our first loss,” the official state on his Facebook page late on April 6. “A worker at one of our Kyiv-based enterprises, who fell sick with the coronavirus and was in a heavy condition in the latest days, has died at one of the capital city hospitals.”

The unidentified 72-year-old man was the enterprise’s veteran employee working as a turner since 1975, according to the company’s official statement.

His hospitalization was initially reported on April 3 and the only confirmed COVID-19 case detected at the strategic arms production giant of over 130 enterprises with nearly 80,000 employees across Ukraine.

According to UkrOboronProm, the worker contracted the disease while staying at home during quarantine lockdown at his enterprise since March 20. Falling sick at a quick pace, he eventually sought medical aid and was hospitalized in critical condition.

As of April 6, no other COVID-19 cases were registered at the company, UkrOboronProm also said.

Earlier, the concern also imposed a strict quarantine regime, shutting down some of its enterprises, or reducing the number of employees present daily at their working places by 65 percent.

Besides, 80 percent of the concern’s central apparatus and special export affiliates work online.

“In general, coronavirus is a notedly grave challenge for our enterprises,” Nayyem also said in his statement. “As nearly a quarter of our employees are in the increased risk zone, and this is about nearly 17,000 workers, one-third of which still keep going to work to support the critical infrastructure of defense productions.”

As of April 6, Ukraine reports a total of 1,319 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 38 deaths. Twenty-eight patients have been reported to have recovered from the disease.