Two oblasts join Ukraine’s “Red” COVID zone, Kyiv to follow
25 October 2021
Rivne and Mykolaiv oblasts will raise their COVID
epidemic levels to Red on Oct. 26, the Cabinet’s Minister Oleh Nemchinov announced
on Oct. 23 by Telegram. This raises the number of oblasts at the Red level to
nine.
As we reported previously, the city of Kyiv is expected to move to
the Red level in the very near future. On Oct. 21, the city recorded
COVID-related indicators that equaled the peak of the Spring 2021 COVID wave,
with 1,323 confirmed cases and 44 deaths, as opposed to 1,269 cases and 45
deaths on April 22.
James Hydzik: As the
capital braces itself for the peak of the incoming wave, businesses are already
moving to remote and distance-preferred operations. Couriers will be busy. This
mode can be expected for most if not all of November.
One question that will come is the impact of
education regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine. Anecdotal evidence shows
that among the vaccinated, there are mild COVID cases that end up infecting and
killing the unvaccinated, even among people who could have been aware that the
actual benefit of the vaccine is not a complete shield against the virus. As
Ukraine’s vaccinations increase, the education around it needs to bulk up as
well.
