Ukraine has reimposed the Covid restrictions as the country faces record deaths and cases on second consecutive day. File photo
KIEV: Ukraine’s capital reimposed restrictions on Friday to combat the spread of the coronavirus, as the ex-Soviet country reported record COVID-19 fatalities and cases for the second day in a row.
A official tally showed a record 23,785 new illnesses and 614 daily fatalities in the ex-Soviet country, which has a severely underfunded public health sector.
The worst was still to come, according to authorities. “Dear friends,” said Oleksiy Danylov, head of the national security and defence council, “we are now just approaching this height.” “This is a really frightening scenario,” he said to reporters on Friday.
He blamed the increase in cases and fatalities on strong anti-vaccine attitude in the nation, saying that Ukraine might soon see more than 1,000 people die from the virus each day.
Students in Kiev will be absent from school for the next two weeks, with the first seven days falling on national school vacations.
Kindergartens are permitted to remain operating as long as all of their personnel have been vaccinated. The Kiev government may potentially declare the temporary closure of retail, athletic, and entertainment institutions.
Authorities in the country of 41 million people first struggled to get vaccines and persuade Ukrainians to get vaccinated.
The spread of bogus vaccination certificates has also impeded the immunisation programme. “Fake tests and COVID certifications cost Ukrainians’ lives,” Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said earlier Friday.
“If you want to die, to lose your loved ones by purchasing forged paperwork, that is your choice; nevertheless, by wearing an oxygen mask in intensive care, patients acknowledge to not having been vaccinated.”
Infected areas have required immunisation certificates for entrance to public facilities like as restaurants and theatres, resulting in a surge of individuals becoming immunised.
Officials stated on Friday that 269,666 individuals had been vaccinated in the previous 24 hours, the largest number since the start of Ukraine’s immunisation push in February.
In Ukraine, four vaccinations are available, including those from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna, yet only 16.5 percent of the population has been completely immunised. Since the start of the epidemic, Ukraine has documented over 2.7 million coronavirus illnesses and 63,000 fatalities.
