According to Health Minister Maxim Stepanov, the third wave of COVID 19 have passed Ukraine despite continuously high numbers.
The latest and third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is no longer a thing in Ukraine. At least not according to Health Minister Maxim Stepanov. According to Kyiv Post3, Stepanov today said that the wave has ended for Ukraine.
From March to May, 18,626 deaths were registered and attributed to this particular wave – the worst wave seen in Ukraine yet, however some speculate that there might be quite a big disparity between the registered number and the real number.
However, on the positive side, it did not turn in to the catastrophe that many people expected. Ukraine struggled with hospital capacity as well as oxygen supply, but the total amount of registered deaths – while high – did not land near the feared number. Some even expected almost 60,000 deaths, according to Kyiv Post.
Still high number of registered cases
In the 24 hours before 9 AM today, Ukraine registered 8404 new cases of coronavirus. In the same period, 19,453 people recovered and 379 died. On the positive side, a lot more people are recovering than contracting the virus. 3080 patients were hospitalized.
More worrying is it, that Ukraine only carried out 39,748 PCR tests and 14,177 antibody tests. The past week has been dominated by holidays, which also means less testing. It’s hard to say why, but it is consistent with what was seen around the Orthodox Christmas and New Year.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ukraine has carried out 9.5 million tests which is roughly equivalent with one fourth of the population. According to Our World In Data, this is a far lower testing rate per capita in neighboring countries like Russia, Romania and Belarus.
821,768 people have gotten the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in Ukraine. 428 people are fully vaccinated. Pfizer will provide 20 million doses to Ukraine, according to Stepanov. The first 500,000 doses will arrive in May-June, while 4.5 million doses will arrive in July-September.
All doses are expected before the end of the year.
