Kherson hits Red state while record death toll registered

Kherson Oblast will reach the red COVID level on Oct. 15, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleh Nemchinov announced on Oct. 12. Schools and many businesses will need to ensure that 100% of employees are vaccinated.

 

The announcement comes as Health Minister Viktor Lyashko told Radio Liberty in an interview that the Education and Science Ministry was being recommended to start the autumn break for students on Oct. 18 instead of Oct. 25, and that the return to in-class instruction would be determined by the epidemic level after the break.

 

Moreover, Chief Sanitary Officer Ihor Kuzin announced that a joint project between the Ministry of Health and the WHO will place cameras in Kyiv and either Kharkiv or Dnipro in November to monitor compliance with mask regulations.

 

Ukraine registered a record 471 lethal cases of COVID on Oct. 12, the Health Ministry reported on Oct. 13. The previous record was 470 deaths on April 21.

 

James Hydzik: With 20% of the population having received at least one dose of a vaccine, the lethality of the Delta variant as well as the effectiveness of non-vaccination public health measures will both be visible over the upcoming months. If the death toll continues to climb - which is probable given that the number of cases registered daily still has not hit previous highs - there is the possibility that further measures beyond the current red-level restrictions will be required.