Kyiv Mayor’s Coronavirus Update – October 23, 2020
23.10.2020
The mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko held a briefing providing an update on the coronavirus situation in Ukraine’s capital and the measures the city is taking to respond.
Klitschko: Again, Kyiv has broken a record of new single-day cases! There are another 635 infections over the past 24 hours. 33,135 people have been infected in Kyiv.
There are more 14 virus-related fatalities and with this, the total number of deaths in Kyiv rose to 656. 185 people recovered overnight to bring the total number of recoveries to 11,489.
New cases are 352 women (18-84 years old), 247 men (18-86 years old) and 36 children. 30 new cases are medical workers.
64 patients were hospitalised in the past 24 hours.
Desniansky district is again the most affected, with 115 new virus transmissions overnight.
The number of new hospitalisations remains high, reaching 1,705 today. 36 of them are children. 124 more patients are waiting for confirmation of their diagnosis. 417 in-patients are severely affected, 632 are under oxygen therapy and 29 are put on ventilators. 480 people are hospitalised with pneumonia.
At least 110 pneumonia inpatients are admitted to the municipal coronavirus hospital No.3 which recent improvements I inspected yesterday. Since early October it has already treated 86 COVID-19 patients.
The hospital buildings are about 50 years old and they have never seen any major renovation work. Now some of the units are much more comfortable and providing the up to date treatment. Recent upgrade includes massive repair and thermal insulation, new electrical distribution and wastewater treatment systems. We also replaced the medical equipment with the latest ₴43 million medical devices.
The emergency and surgery departments are next in line to see modernisation.
The hospital has expanded its capacity to admit coronavirus patients and established a 30-bed unit with 10 intensive care beds. Another 60 beds will be added in the nearest time. The municipality has allocated ₴1.7 million to purchase necessary medications, PPE and some equipment for the hospital.
As you know, on October 25 Kyivans will vote in local elections. The city authority has done everything to ensure that the voting process is safe. We have allocated ₴1,3 million to purchase and distribute disinfectants and the PPE among the polls.
About 8,000 police officers will maintain the public order on the election day, 4,500 of them at the polls. Municipal guards will help the law enforcement officers patrol the parks and railway stations. I am urging the police to prevent any election-related crimes at the polls and ensure the voting process and the ballot processing are fair and democratic. Because the election campaign was quite challenging, with dirty tricks and mudslinging.
12 bomb squads and 100 ambulances will be ready to respond to any possible emergencies.
Now I want to urge all Kyivans to come to the polling stations and vote. Your voice matters! The future of Kyiv and its success depend on every resident. Please, do come and vote! This is how democracy works.
Also, I want you to be safe, so please, remember to wear masks, use a sanitiser, avoid crowds and observe a distance at the polls. It might be wise to let your children stay home.