The next COVID-19 wave in Ukraine might start in late August, said Jarno Habicht, head of the World Health Organization’s office in Ukraine on July 26. Habicht cites the new Delta variant as the the likely reason for another wave.
“It is now a good time to get vaccinated while the Delta strain has not spread widely through the country,” said Habicht in an interview with Unian news outlet.
According to Habicht’s estimates, the new rapid increase in coronavirus cases may begin in late August or early September and last until wintertime, depending on the government’s response.
“It is necessary to expand testing and have an adaptive system of public health measures,” said Habicht.
If Habicht’s predictions become a reality, Ukraine will witness its fourth coronavirus wave since the start of the pandemic.
The third wave took the lives of at least 18,626 people from March 9 to May 6, according to data released by the Health Ministry.
During the third wave, the deadliest COVID-19 wave so far, Ukraine’s capital Kyiv went into lockdown. Kyiv was under a lockdown from March 20 to April 30. Kyiv’s public transport, including the metro, was closed to the general public and was available only to those with special city-issued permits.
The deadly Delta variant became the dominant COVID-19 strain worldwide in late July. Ukraine has been able to avoid the spread of the Delta variant so far, recording only 13 cases.
On July 21, the Ministry of Health announced the beginning of the fifth and final stage of the COVID-19 vaccination program. All Ukrainian citizens of legal age are eligible to receive a vaccine.
Vaccination in Ukraine began on Feb. 24 and by July 26, over 3.1 million people have received the first dose of the vaccine, while over 1.7 million have received both doses.
Anyone registered to be vaccinated through the government app Diia can get vaccinated on the weekends at one of the country’s 50 mass vaccination centers. Kyiv’s mass vaccination center is based inside the International Exhibition Center near the Livoberezhna metro station.
Ukraine currently vaccinates people with the Pfizer, Sinovac, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines. On July 5, Ukraine authorized the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for use.
