Ukrainian healthcare experts say the country will face a more difficult period of the COVID-19 epidemic in February as the number of daily deaths may rise to 250-400.
In particular, experts believe the ascertainment rate may skyrocket after people return to work and children return to school post lockdown. Coronavirus mutations also cause concern, although so far there is no evidence of new variants circulating in Ukraine, as reported by the RBC Ukraine news agency.
"We have gone through the best period of epidemic developments in the winter period. A possible complication of the epidemic situation is still ahead, which objectively doesn't even depend on us – these are the laws of the epidemic process development: the spread of pathogens and a natural seasonal increase in the incidence of respiratory infections in February," said Head of the Department of Epidemiology at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, WHO Expert on Biological Response Natalia Vynograd.
Head of the Laboratory of Immunorehabilitology at the Mechnikov Institute of Microbiology and immunology Andrey Volyanskiy says daily deaths have been on the rise lately despite quarantine-related curbs.
"There is risk that the number of deaths will rise to 250-400. These are today's figures in Poland. It is very likely this will happen [in Ukraine] in the coming weeks," he said.
COVID-19 in Ukraine: Latest
