COVID-19 has not disappeared: the Ministry of Health of Ukraine informs about the incidence, mortality and new subvariants

Anastasia Poya, Ukrayinska Pravda, 7 February 2023

The situation with Covid is stable. Now 12 subvariants of the COVID-19 Omicron strain are circulating in Ukraine. One of the latest cases was recorded in the Sumy region.
This information was provided by the chief state sanitary doctor of Ukraine Igor Kuzin.
On January 24, the first case of infection with a new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, also called the Kraken, was registered in Ukraine.
This subvariant is now actively circulating in Europe and the USA.
“Its peculiarity is that it spreads very quickly, faster than the usual Omicron, but there is no reliable information that it can be more dangerous,” says the doctor.
Coronavirus diseases in Ukraine still exist. About 2,500 patients are hospitalized with Covid every week.
According to the chief sanitary doctor, 5-7% of the hospital beds allocated to combat COVID-19 are currently occupied.
“Also fatal cases continue to be registered. 80% of them are patients aged 60+. Almost everyone is not vaccinated,” says Kuzin.
As of the beginning of February, Ukrainian health care facilities have enough diagnostic tools for COVID-19. At the same time, diagnostic rates have dropped significantly. In particular, due to the lifting of quarantine restrictions.
“This leads to the fact that people go to the doctor in case of emergency, when they feel very bad,” said Igor Kuzin.