COVID-19 Situation in Ukraine: 13 'Red' Regions, Record Deaths and Vaccination

On October 25, 734 people died in a single day.

Soon, 13 regions of Ukraine may be classified as the "red" zone of epidemic danger. Here are the latest news about the coronavirus pandemic in the country. 

13 regions in the "red" zone

Viktor Liashko
Head of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine

Today, the red level of epidemic danger has been introduced in Rivne and Mykolaiv regions. At the next meeting of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies, a decision will be made to move five more regions to the "red" level: Zhytomyr, Luhansk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi and Chernihiv. The "red" level also remains in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy and Kherson regions. In total, this will already be 13 regions at the "red" level of epidemic danger. 

According to him, the average time a region spent in the "red" zone during the spring wave was 37 days. Now the number of hospitalized patients is reaching a threatening level. 

In some regions, the occupancy rate of beds capable of providing oxygen therapy has already reached 80%. This refers to Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. 

Across the country, the occupancy rate of oxygen-equipped beds intended for coronavirus patients stands at 66%. To reduce the burden on the medical system, the Ministry of Health is forced to introduce strict quarantine restrictions. 

Deaths among vaccinated people

Ukraine has recorded 119 deaths among people vaccinated against coronavirus. 

Viktor Liashko
Head of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine

119 is the number of people for whom serious adverse events following immunization, including fatal cases, were recorded within a month after vaccination. 

He noted that 119 are fatal outcomes. However, Liashko stressed that "this figure means nothing." For example, a person dies from a stroke every six minutes. According to the minister, a stroke can happen to an elderly person who came for a vaccination, while in the queue for the vaccine, and five minutes after it. 

He had difficulty answering the question from UP whether there is at least one proven case in Ukraine of a link between a vaccination and a person's death. 

Liashko said that he does not head the national investigation commission, but if such a case existed, he would be informed. 

Maximum fatalities

On October 25, Ukraine confirmed 19,120 coronavirus cases and 734 deaths in a single day. 2,939 people were hospitalized with coronavirus or suspected coronavirus, and 9,738 people recovered. 

Since the start of the pandemic, Ukraine has recorded 2,803,159 infections, of which 2,390,112 people have recovered and 64,936 have died. Among new cases in the last day were 1,414 children and 338 medical workers. 

The highest numbers of cases were recorded in Dnipropetrovsk (1,760), Odesa (1,605), Zaporizhzhia (1,335), Kharkiv (1,255) and Kherson (1,222) regions. 

Vaccination of 70% of Ukrainians by year-end

Health Minister Viktor Liashko believes it is possible to vaccinate 70% of the adult population of Ukraine by the end of 2021, although currently about 19% have completed the full vaccination cycle. 

Viktor Liashko
Head of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine

We have now reached entirely different vaccination figures: on October 22, we set a daily record for the fifth day in a row. We administered 289,000 vaccinations per day, while at one time we did that many in a month. If we mathematically multiply 250,000 vaccinations by 70 days, if this trend continues, that will be the answer to your question (how to vaccinate another 50% of Ukrainians by the end of the year — ed.). 

According to him, "conditions must be created" so that the number of those willing to get vaccinated "is at this level or higher." He agreed that mandatory vaccination encourages people to get vaccinated. 

The Health Minister noted that the "healthcare system is capable" of vaccinating 70% of the population by December 31, but "a large number of factors influence this," in particular, calls from anti-vaccine activists. 

Liashko said that when 70% of Ukrainians were informed about the advisability of coronavirus vaccination, but people still did not get vaccinated en masse, "several factors coincided to increase (motivation — ed.)": a rise in the number of patients, the introduction of restrictions in "red" zones, and advertising on national TV channels.

Viktor Liashko
Head of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine

The anti-vaccine movement did not appear with COVID. It showed its relevance, very strongly showed its relevance. And not only in Ukraine. When I was a sanitary doctor and spoke about the capacity to administer 250,000 vaccinations a day, people laughed and said: "Well, well, in Ukraine there is such an anti-vaccine movement, where people don't trust, they will never do it." Today we have 250,000, almost 290,000. But we look at European countries, we see the level they have reached and which we want to reach. And it is desirable to do this very quickly. 

A mobile hospital has been deployed in Kherson region

In Kherson region, rescuers deployed a mobile hospital on the grounds of the Kakhovka Central City Hospital named after the Pankeyev family. 

On October 25, a convoy of rescue equipment delivered a mobile hospital to one of the hospitals in Kakhovka. It was deployed on a specially prepared site at the Kakhovka Central City Hospital. 

The State Emergency Service's mobile hospital consists of 35 tents, 24 of which are patient wards and an intensive care unit. The hospital itself is autonomous, equipped with electric generators, heaters and lighting towers.