There are now 16 confirmed cases of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus in Ukraine, a rise from the 14 reported on Tuesday, March 17.
The updated figure from the Ukrainian Health Ministry's Public Health Center represents the number of confirmed cases as of 22:00 Kyiv time on Wednesday, March 18.
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Regions with confirmed cases are as follows: Chernivtsi (10), Zhytomyr (1), Kyiv (2), Donetsk (1), and the city of Kyiv (2).
The virological reference laboratory of Ukraine's Public Health Center checks not only suspected cases, but also established contacts. In total, more than 640 samples have already been examined.
On March 18 alone, the laboratory received 51 patients and 103 contact persons.
According to regional laboratories, six samples were tested with the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method on March 18, all tested negative.
"Most of people who are affected by the novel coronavirus experience it as the common acute respiratory syndrome. Actually, this disease is a kind of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), but it is caused by a previously unknown pathogen," the center said.
In particular, the World Health Organization estimates the death rate from COVID-19 at 3.4%. The Ukrainian Health Ministry says that 96.6% of COVID-19 cases will not be fatal.
Ukraine's first death from the new coronavirus (a 71-year-old woman in Zhytomyr region) was reported on March 13. The second death – a 33-year-old woman tested positive on March 17 – was reported in Chernivtsi region.
