Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister and Chief Medical Officer Viktor Liashko has said Ukraine may toughen the coronavirus-related quarantine curbs amid an increase in the number of cases.
"I will not be cunning – there is such a likelihood. But the question is that the health care system at the end of August is no longer the health care system in March. Today we clearly know how many people we can accommodate in health care facilities and clearly predict the number of cases registered daily so that our doctors could cope and provide medical assistance to everyone who needs it," he told the Ukrainian-registered Apostrophe online media outlet.
Read alsoUkraine prolongs quarantine until Nov 1Liashko stressed the situation with the epidemic was unfolding under the "yellow" scenario when 4,000 deaths could be registered by the end of the year.
According to the official, the Ukrainian health care system will not cope if people do not comply with quarantine rules.
"No beds may be enough if no one complies with the restrictions. Today we have 25,000 beds in hospitals that have already been designated for admitting patients with coronavirus disease," he said.
"We have hospitals of the so-called 'second wave,' in reserve. They are gradually being connected in those regions where the percentage of bed occupancy is exceeded. Potentially 10,000 more beds are ready there," Liashko said.
Regional state administrations have also been instructed to convert 30% of the total bed capacity for infectious patients for the influenza and ARVI season, which begins in October," he added.
Coronavirus in Ukraine
Ukraine said 1,974 new active COVID-19 cases had been confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours as of August 27, 2020. The total number of confirmed cases grew to 112,059.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said the number of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the city had risen sharply in the past day, namely by 220.
