Kyiv Mayor’s Coronavirus Update – September 2, 2020
02.09.2020
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: Kyiv has broken its record for new single day cases! Over the past 24 hours the number of infections rose by 332. In total there are 13,878 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ukraine’s capital.
180 females (19-84 years old), 137 males (aged 18-92) and 15 children were proved positive. Among the new cases are 13 medical workers. 75 patients were admitted to hospitals – a sharp increase in overnight hospitalizations.
68 Kyivans recovered, taking the total number of recoveries up to 4, 450. Five more deaths bring the death toll to 218.
The majority of new coronavirus cases came from Darnytsky and Dniprovsky districts – 59 and 54 respectively.
Due to a jump in the number of coronavirus patients the municipality has increased the amount of testing to 210 tests conducted per 100,000 population, which is the highest rate in Ukraine.
The municipal health facilities have performed almost 99,000 PCR tests and over 17,500 antibody tests since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in Kyiv, with 58,000 samples collected by mobile response brigades.
Now a few words about a surge in daily hospital admissions. Currently, there are 788 hospitalised coronavirus patients, including 19 children. 164 people are acutely ill, 210 need oxygen support. 14 patients require invasive ventilation and another 24 are put on a non-invasive ventilator. 100 Kyivans are admitted to hospitals with suspected coronavirus diagnosis.
The number of people hospitalised with pneumonia is also raising. Overnight there were 144 such hospital admissions to bring their total number to 1,128.
Currently, the bed occupancy rate at coronavirus dedicated hospitals stands at almost 54%. As I have said, the city healthcare authority has added inpatient beds and converted four municipal health facilities into COVID-19 hospitals.
Since we have a jump of new coronavirus cases, fatalities are also increasing. The majority of the coronavirus deaths in Kyiv are people with pre-existing health problems and the elderly population. Besides, many people аvоіd or dеlау sееkіng medical care and try self-medicating. This is why I keep reminding: please visit a doctor if you have the slightest symptoms, do not waste time!
Everyone now has someone with coronavirus among family members, friends, colleagues or acquaintances. So I want to urge all Kyivans to take the infection seriously. Please, change your attitude, otherwise, you are endangering your and others’ health. You can show no symptoms and unknowingly infect those around you.
The city is continuing with compliance checks. Last week special patrols consisting of the police officers, municipal guards and officials of the National Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection inspected 380 food facilities and issued 67 penalty notices.
Unfortunately, owners and staff of restaurants and cafes often ignore the health recommendations. They stopped to disinfect their premises, refuse to respect working hours and allow overcrowding. Neither owners, staff nor visitors wear masks in public places. And then all those people are wondering about the high prevalence of coronavirus in our community!
As you know, students returned to schools yesterday. We have closely watched how other countries have been preparing for the new academic year and prepared the municipal schools in Kyiv to make them safe. Denmark and Germany, for instance, have resumed schools back in May, before the summer break.
Great Britain, Italy and many other countries whose coronavirus prevalence rate is even higher, still reopen their schools. According to the WHO Regional Office for Europe statement, school closures can have a profound effect on the health and well-being of children.
427 out of 428 municipal schools resumed their classes yesterday. One school remains closed due to coronavirus cases reported among school staff. About 300,000 students are back in classrooms this year, over 30,000 of them are first-graders.
Schools follow the strict guidelines and have a protocol on how to act if a student shows symptoms of the disease. Also, morning temperature screening for children and staff is mandatory. Classes are thoroughly sanitised and aired. Schools are equipped with sanitising supplies and masks. Over ₴30 million have been committed by the municipality to this task.
Thank you! Please, be careful because unfortunately, cautiousness often comes together with the positive coronavirus test…