COVID-19 cases set daily record on Aug. 7 before tapering off

Cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the
coronavirus set a daily record of 1,489 on Friday, Aug. 7 before tapering off
this weekend, according to statistics of the National Security and Defense
Council of Ukraine. New infections cooled off to 1,199 on Aug. 8 and 1,008 on
Aug. 9. Twenty-five people died on Aug. 9, while 387 recovered. The most new
infections are in the western regions of Lviv and Iavno-Frankivsk.

Prime Minister Shmyhal ordered state bodies to create
an effective system of tracking the contact activity of those who have been
infected with the coronavirus. “These epidemiological investigations are
supposed to be systemic, with strict controls on self-isolation. This creates
the possibility for us to more quickly react and break the chain of
infections,” he told a special cabinet meeting on Aug. 8. He also ordered a
presentation of statistics indicating how hospitals are preparing for a second
wave.

Zenon Zawada: The
Zelensky administration continues to be very quiet in addressing the COVID-19
disease, despite the record reached on Aug. 7. The situation is stabilized,
though daily infections of 1,000 or more are relatively high and cause for
concern.