The Ministry of Health has developed draft interim recommendations for deploying hospitals outside of healthcare facilities. Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Viktor Liashko announced this at a briefing.

He noted that the project had been directed to the Institute for Public Health and the Institute for Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases. After that, the possibility of placement of additional beds, in particular, in exhibition centers, palaces of sports, etc., will be considered.

“But this can be prevented if we comply with the quarantine conditions. Self-isolation is one of the effective ways to combat the spread of coronavirus disease in our country. And the conscious attitude of the Ukrainians will allow us to overcome this problem without panic and peak loads,” Viktor Liashko stressed.

According to him, the Government is doing everything to effectively combat the spread of coronavirus infection and prepare the health care system. To date, there is an approved list of 240 healthcare facilities that will be the first to admit COVID-19 patients. These hospitals have 67,000 beds, of which 11,000 - for patients with infectious diseases, 4,188 - for isolation of patients. The number of intensive care beds is 1,716. The number of artificial lung ventilation machines is 1,882, the number of infectiologists, pediatricians, therapists is 3,700, and anesthesiologists – 2,161.

“This is the first-wave hospitals and specialist doctors that will be the first to provide medical care to patients with coronavirus. Near each of these hospitals, sanitary sorting sites have been organized by the State Emergency Service. It has been done for the purpose of when mass admission of patients is on, the sorting process will take place in order not to allow patients without coronavirus to infectious hospitals”, said the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine.

Viktor Liashko stressed that the Ministry of Health would further focus on the fight against the spread of coronavirus infection on the territory of Ukraine.

“All the activities of the Ministry, which was directed and coordinated at this difficult time in the fight against coronavirus disease, will remain a priority. We will exert every effort to prevent peak loads and rising morbidity, and to ensure the Ukrainians endure this epidemic with minimum losses, without significant burdens on both the health care system and the health of Ukrainians,” Viktor Liashko stressed.

Moreover, the official reported that in the past 24 hours, there have been 69 reported cases of coronavirus disease. Since the beginning of the epidemic, 549 cases have been recorded in our country. 8 people have already recovered, including 2 children. 13 people died. Over the past 24 hours, most cases have been reported in Ternopil region - 14, and in Chernivtsi region - 15.

About 60% of coronavirus cases have been confirmed in people between the ages of 30 and 59.

Since the beginning of the year, 2,642 suspicions on having coronavirus have been found and processed. 296 PCR tests have been conducted in the past 24 hours in national and regional virology laboratories.