For the fourth week in a row, the dynamics of COVID-19 morbidity rates is improving in Ukraine. However, in a number of countries the spread of a new strain of coronavirus - "Omicron" has been recorded. This was discussed at a conference call chaired by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, as of today there are 421,699 active patients in Ukraine, which is 100,000 less than three weeks ago.
Most of the sick are currently in the Odesa and Kherson regions, the best situation is in the Kirovohrad and Donetsk regions.
During the meeting it was noted that for the sixth week in a row Ukraine maintains a high level of vaccination - about 1.6-1.7 million vaccinations are carried out every week.
The Head of State stressed that the rate of vaccination of Ukrainians should be increased until the majority of the country's population is vaccinated.
Considerable attention was paid at the meeting to measures to counteract the possible spread of COVID-19 strain “Omicron” in Ukraine, which causes a more severe course of the disease. The first cases of infection with this strain were recorded in young people, including university students.
According to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, the ministry is already developing measures to prevent Ukrainians from becoming infected with the new strain. Thus, citizens of Ukraine who have visited the countries where Omicron was found - in South Africa, the Republic of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique - must undergo self-isolation after returning home.
"We are already urging our citizens to refrain from traveling to countries where a new strain has been detected. It was decided not to allow persons who had been on the territory of certain countries of South Africa for more than 7 days during the last 14 days to enter the territory of Ukraine without undergoing 14 days of self-isolation. In the future, the list of countries may be expanded," said Viktor Lyashko.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian citizens who are currently in these countries should pay more attention to their health, comply with anti-epidemic requirements and immediately contact local medical institutions in case of symptoms.