Ukraine is opening more of the hospitals to the coronavirus or COVID-19 cases as the institutions initially chosen for accepting patients do not have enough beds to tackle the surge in infections, the health minister mentioned on Wednesday.
The daily rise in the number of deadly novel virus cases hit a new high of 940 on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to 39,014 with 1,051 deaths. Most of the new cases were confirmed in west Ukraine and the capital.
Ukraine to Open More Hospitals for COVID-19 Cases
At the start of the epidemic, Ukraine divided hospitals into categories, with the best-prepared institutions taking patients in the first wave. Second-line hospitals would accept cases once the other institutions had no more places. Officials say some citizens have not stuck closely enough to guidance on social distancing and other precautions to prevent the virus spreading, leading to a surge in cases.
"With this attitude of citizens, in some regions there is a sharp increase in the number of people who are hospitalised. In this regard, we need to open the second-line," Health Minister Maksym Stepanov told a televised briefing. Ukraine, which introduced a lockdown in March, began easing restrictions in May to help the economy.
(With agency inputs)
