REUTERS

A new massive outbreak of the novel coronavirus has been reported in Kharkiv region as 20 healthcare workers of a local infectious diseases hospital have tested positive for COVID-19.

Among them are five doctors, namely the chief doctor, the head of a medical unit and anesthetists, two of whom were sent to the hospital to beef up staff amid the coronavirus crisis, according to the local news portal KharkivToday, which quoted Kharkiv Regional State Administration's press service as saying.

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Fifteen hospital nurses were also infected.

"Five anesthetists are on duty now. The workload is high, but the intensive care unit is working at full capacity," the administration said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ukraine as of Sunday morning was 20,986, including 406 in the past 24 hours. The number of active cases was 13,261. The overall death toll stood at 617.