Medical workers are nearly 20% of Ukraine coronavirus infections, minister says

About 18.9% of Ukrainians infected with the coronavirus
as of Apr. 22 are medical workers, said Health Minister Maksym Stepanov in an
interview published by the pravda.com.ua news site on Apr. 23. “Our doctors,
who are working on the coronavirus infection, are going to be tested every five
days. Twenty percent of the ill being medical workers is too much. To compare
with other countries, our fatality rate is 2.6%, when it’s greater than 10% in
Great Britain, France or Spain,” Stepanov said. Coronavirus patients are
occupying 10-15% of Ukraine’s hospital beds, he said. Meanwhile, all medical
workers involved in treating the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus
will have their salaries tripled, he told an Apr. 24 press conference.

Of Ukraine’s 2,097 artificial ventilators, only 155
are currently in use, which covers 15% of total hospital beds, Stepanov said in
the interview. “If tomorrow suddenly we will have 155 people on artificial
ventilators in hospitals of the first wave, and – God forbid – that begins to
grow very strongly, and that amount begins of approach up to 2,000 artificial
ventilators, then we will immediately introduce a second wave. And that will be
the peak load on the health care system” he said, describing what the ministry
means when using the term “peak.”

Coronavirus infections rose by 477 cases, or 6.7%,
from the prior day to a total of 7,647 as of noon, Apr. 24, according to the
Center for Public Health of the Health Ministry of Ukraine. An estimated 193
people have died from the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus infection,
an increase of six cases from the prior day. Recovered patients rose by 96
cases to 601 in total.

Zenon Zawada: Indeed the infection rate of medical workers is among Ukraine’s
biggest problems related to the coronavirus. That was an expected development
considering just how poorly Ukraine’s hospitals are equipped. Otherwise,
Ukraine’s coronavirus situation is more-or-less stable.