India coronavirus strain expected in Ukraine soon – Health minister

A coronavirus strain first detected in India, which is considered to be the most dangerous one, is expected in Ukraine soon.

Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said on TV Channel Ukraina 24.

Read alsoCOVID-19 cases sharply up as of May 7, second day in row

"We can say that it will definitely appear. And this is reality, and we must tell the truth. Now it has already been recorded in neighboring countries, in particular, in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania. And therefore it is clear that eventually it will appear in Ukraine the way it was with the UK or South Africa variant," he said.

According to the minister, the India strain is quite serious and affects the young population.

"It is quite aggressive, more contagious, [it has] a rather complex clinical picture with damage to various organs, including the stomach, kidneys. Strong intoxication, and this strain affects the young population, which is very unpleasant," he said.

According to the minister, it is not yet known what other mutations of the coronavirus can occur, so one should to be prepared for the worst.

"We have to prepare for the worst case scenario to be able to safeguard ourselves," he said.

Coronavirus crisis in India

• The situation with the coronavirus in big cities in India is out of control, as thousands of people die from the disease every day and the local authorities fail to dispose dead bodies.
• The World Health Organization said the second wave of the deadly coronavirus epidemic in India had been triggered by a combination of mass gatherings, low vaccination rates and more infectious strains of the virus.
• Experts fear the COVID-19 disaster in India could be worse than they predicted.
• Since May 2, 2021, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers banned foreigners arriving from India from crossing the state border.