Tears streamed down Rita Liubytska’s face as she hung up the phone. The hospital had just called to inform her that another patient had died of COVID-19.
Liubytska, a family physician from the small front line city of Mykolaivka, 680 kilometers east of Kyiv, believes his death could have been avoided if he had been vaccinated. Now, she is deeply worried about the scale of the latest wave of coronavirus since the majority of the population in her hometown refuses the jab.
“There are practically no places left for hospitalization,” Liubytska said. “Even as for patients with difficult conditions, we already have to choose whom to hospitalize and who stays home for treatment.”
The death rate from the disease is higher this time than during the previous waves. This caused some people who opposed vaccination to change their mind. However, another issue has arisen — people who bought fake vaccination certificates cannot receive the drug.
“There’s no way we can vaccinate them. Their data has been uploaded in the Helsi system,” Liubytska explained.
The problem of fraud in Ukraine is significant enough that President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed it at a meeting with Cabinet ministers and law enforcement officials this week. The police suspect at least 15 Ukrainian hospitals of having issued fake COVID-19 credentials in exchange for payments, according to the Health Ministry.
The peak is yet to come
Ukraine is undergoing its deadliest COVID-19 surge to date. On Oct. 22, the country hit a new record, with 23,785 new cases and 614 deaths. Thousands are being admitted to hospitals each day.
The spread of the virus in Ukraine is extremely high. Over the past week alone, 105,000 people fell ill, which is 11% more than a week earlier, according to Deputy Health Minister Ihor Kuzin. One reason is that the Delta variant of the disease spreading through the country right now is especially virulent.
Doctors warn that the peak of the latest wave has not passed and the worst is yet to come. According to epidemiologist Lyudmila Mukharska, it is difficult to predict the future but as winter looms, there is no cause for optimism.
“Strengthening restrictions is the right classic step in the fight against viral diseases. However, the concern that the rules are not followed is still relevant,” Mukharska told the KyivPost.
Under the adaptive quarantine strategy, Ukraine color codes its regions green, yellow, orange or red, according to the severity of the outbreak there.
Currently, five Ukrainian oblasts are yellow, 15 are orange, and five are red. Kyiv will soon move into the red quarantine zone, its mayor, Vitali Klitschko, announced on Oct. 21.
All non-essential businesses must be closed in red zones, including shopping malls, restaurants, cinemas and gyms. Only grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations must remain open. But if all staff and visitors have green COVID-19 certificates proving they are fully vaccinated, restrictions will not be applied.
Vaccination
Ukraine, with its population of 42 million, has the lowest vaccination rate in Europe. As of Oct. 21, over 8.5 million people have received the first of two doses, while 6.8 million Ukrainians are fully vaccinated.
Experts agree the vaccination is the only effective long-term strategy to overcome COVID-19. Introducing restrictions works as a temporary measure, a short-term way to drive cases down.
“The true end to the pandemic will come through immunity,” Liubytska said.
All adults, including foreigners with a residence permit, can get vaccinated for free. They can get a shot at their local clinics or one of more than 400 mass vaccination centers throughout the country. Kyiv has at least 36 such centers, including the International Exhibition Center near the Livoberezhna metro station and Kyiv Boryspil International Airport. The full list is available here.
Read also: Vaccination, testing for COVID-19 available at train stations across Ukraine
Vaccinations have been made mandatory for the state and local government employees and teachers. Unvaccinated people must follow restrictions when visiting restaurants, sporting and other public events.
Starting from Oct. 21, all passengers traveling by air, bus or train between the yellow, orange and red regions must either provide a two-dose vaccine certificate (at least one dose for travel between two yellow zones) or a negative PCR or rapid test result received within 72 hours. Foreign vaccine certificates and negative PCR test results through the Action Portal app will also be accepted.
