Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Health

WHO sees October COVID surge in Ukraine, cites polio concerns

FILE PHOTO: People wear protective face masks as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while waiting for a bus at a transport stop on a freezing day in Kyiv, Ukraine December 22, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

The World Health Organisation expects a rise in COVID-19 in Ukraine to peak in October, possibly bringing hospitals close to their capacity threshold, WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

"We are now seeing an increase in cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. We project that transmission could peak in early October and hospitals could approach their capacity threshold," Ghebreyesus told WHO'S Regional Committee for Europe conference in Tel Aviv.

"Oxygen shortages are predicted because major supply sources are in occupied parts of the country," he said.

FILE PHOTO: A medical specialist treats of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a hospital in the town of Ovruch, Zhytomyr region, Ukraine November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Oxygen is essential for patients with a range of conditions, including COVID-19 and those with other critical illnesses stemming from complications of pregnancy, childbirth, sepsis, injuries and trauma.

Russia's February invasion of Ukraine has greatly impacted healthcare, with the WHO confirming more than 500 attacks on health infrastructure there, resulting in some 100 deaths. Ghebreyesus also said that the war could increase polio spread.

"We are also deeply concerned about the potential for the international spread of polio due to the gaps in immunization coverage and mass population movement linked to the war," he said.

Ukraine has low vaccination coverage for both COVID and polio, an infectious disease mainly affecting children that can cause paralysis and kill in rare cases. Two cases of polio were reported in Ukraine in 2021.

This year, Israel, Britain and the U.S have all reported polio transmission in major cities, raising concerns about the infection spreading more widely.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Additional reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.