Commodity turnover in the main retail segments returned to the pre-crisis level according to the results of May 2020, almost reaching the February figures, according to the analysis of the number and volume of payments by credit cards in the network of POS terminals of PrivatBank (Kyiv) in January-May 2020, published by the bank’s press service on Monday.
“Food retail is currently getting out the lockdown without losses. According to the analysis of the volume of payments made by cards in the bank’s retail network of terminals, in March and April 2020, non-cash turnover in food chain stores increased by 25% compared to February. In May, non-cash turnover in the food networks was 23% higher than in February,” the bank said.
Non-cash turnover in the network of pharmacies and medical goods stores increased most of all in the first months of lockdown, in particular, in March compared with February it increased by 30%. At the same time, in May non-cash turnover in the pharmacy chains fell by 18% compared to February.
According to the analysis, the most significant during the lockdown was the reduction of cashless turnover in the electronics and home appliances market, which in March amounted to 10% compared to February, and in April reached 43%. In May, the turnover in this sector returned to the pre-crisis level.
According to PrivatBank, by the end of May, the turnover in filling station chains also returned to the pre-lockdown level after sales fell by 20% in April compared to February.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine at an extraordinary meeting on June 19 approved a resolution according to which, starting from September 1, 2020, it will increase wages for health sector workers.
“The wages of doctors is one of the lowest in Ukraine, which is unacceptable, especially in the conditions of a worsening epidemic. The draft act proposes, starting July 1, 2020, the establishments of raises to wages for medical and other employees of medical institutions – doctors in the amount of 70% of the official wage, for specialists with basic higher and incomplete higher medical education in the amount of 50% of the minimum wage, to junior medical staff in the amount of 25% of the minimum wage,” Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov said.
“We will raise payments to all doctors in total by the amount of almost UAH 8 billion,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said
Foreigners entering Ukraine should have an insurance policy covering COVID-19 treatment, Ukraine’s Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov has said.”We are talking about a usual voluntary medical insurance policy. It is very important for us that the person who comes to Ukraine, who is not a citizen of Ukraine and not a refugee, must have a policy that covers exactly the COVID-19 treatment,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv.
The minister explained that according to the law, the state covers treatment only to citizens of Ukraine or refugees who are in the territory of Ukraine
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has installed the first laboratory for PCR and antibody tests at Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv region).
UIA President Yevhen Dykhne said on Facebook that now the laboratory will be used to test UIA crews, however, it will also be able to provide for the needs of departing or arriving passengers, if the arrival country requires a corresponding certificate.
“For example, Tunisia, with which air traffic will soon be restored, allows free border crossing with the availability of a PCR test,” he added.
Dykhne said that a PCR test currently has the highest specificity and sensitivity, in contrast to rapid tests. The material for analysis is a throat swab, and the analysis takes three hours. At the same time, a possible simultaneous loading of the laboratory is 96 samples.
In addition, he said the laboratory also provides for the option of an urgent PCR test of one individual sample within 40 minutes and testing for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, which allows to determine the earlier infection and the presence of immunity (the test material is blood from a vein, the speed is 86 tests per hour).
The Expert Club jointly with Doctor of Biological Sciences Sviatoslav Leonov launch a series of videos about healthy and harmful nutrition.
Nowadays unhealthy nutrition is one of the main risk factors for public health. A major study of mortality causes, which was conducted by researchers in 2017, showed that every fifth death in the world is caused by high consumption of salt, transfat, sugar, overconsumption of sweet carbonated beverages and red meat. Meanwhile, healthy food like whole grain, fruit, seeds and nuts are gradually displaced by harmful products.
In 2017, more than 1.5 million people in the world died of diseases connected with diarrhea caused by poor nutrition. Food poisoning and unhealthy eating in general have been among the top ten causes for deaths for a long time, and in some countries – among the top three causes.
The Expert Club jointly with Doctor of Biological Sciences Sviatoslav Leonov start a project on healthy nutrition in modern society. It is aimed at determining the main risk factors related to unhealthy nutrition, discussing myths and stereotypes, collecting expert opinions on the subject. Initially, the project will have the format of educational mini-interviews with infographics. In the future, we are planning to create a discussion platform for specialists with various points of view.
The pilot video about the main unhealthy food products and harmful food additives is already available on the Expert Club YouTube channel:
