Kyiv Mayor’s Coronavirus Update – December 18, 2020
18.12.2020
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: There are new 1,658 infections in the past 24 hours, 17 more deaths and 442 recoveries. With this, a total of 98,330 Kyivans have been infected with the virus so far. 1,679 people have died and 31,215 successfully recovered.
The latest cases are 895 women (18-92 years old), 657 men (18-100 years old) and 106 kids. 66 confirmed cases are medical staff. 113 patients were admitted to the city hospitals overnight.
The highest number of new infections, 453 has been registered in Darnytsky district.
Unfortunately, again we are facing a sharp spike of hospitalised patients. As of today, there are 2,005 COVID-19 in-patients, including 20 children. 1,071 of them have severe symptoms, 1,361 require oxygen therapy and 31 are put on ventilators. The bed occupancy rate sits now at 48 per cent.
I am calling an extraordinary meeting of the City Council for December 22 to support the infusion of roughly ₴400 million that has been saved under this year’s health programmes into COVID-19 Response Fund. I think the City Council should approve this initiative without politicising it or delay.
Three schools in Kyiv are quarantined as well as 637 classes in 222 schools. Active cases are 907 school students and 756 teachers. Also, five kindergartens remain under quarantine. 144 nursery groups in 122 kindergartens are temporarily closed due to the detected infections. Attendance rate is over 56%.
Though the epidemic situation in schools is getting better slowly, it does not permit eased restrictions. This is why the Kyiv Emergency Commission approved that parents and guests would not be allowed to attend the New Year school celebrations which will be held for each class independently. Large school gatherings should be avoided to minimise the risk of virus transmission among students and their families. We hope for the understanding of parents and that the school authorities will strictly follow this ordinance.
I am often asked whether hospitals are suspending the elective surgeries because of the high number of COVID-19 in-patients. Let me assure you that health workers do everything they can to leave no patient behind. Please, remember that only a doctor can decide on or against the delay of any medical procedures. Elective surgeries are performed to improve a patient’s quality of life rather than for an urgent life-threatening condition. Still, they are very important because they can save health and prevent serious health issues.
For example, hospitals continue to perform endoprosthetic replacements and cancer therapy, brain and heart surgeries. Over 24,000 patients have received cancer treatment at the Kyiv Cancer Centre over the past nine months. The Centre has performed over 4,700 surgeries during this period.
Since the beginning of this year, the municipal hospitals have done about 2,000 cardiac surgeries, including minimally-invasive operations. Cardiac surgeons at Oleksandrivska clinic performed 20 transcatheter aortic valve replacements. This is an expensive ₴900,000 surgery which is available to Kyivans at no cost. Some days ago for the second time the cardiac surgeons of the hospital successfully implanted a LVAD device. The cost of the device exceeds ₴4 million, but under the Kyivans’ Health municipal programme a patient was treated free of cost.