The Center for Public Health under the Ministry of Health of Ukraine warns Ukrainians about another type of coronavirus disease MERS-COV, which is spreading in the countries of the Middle East.
“Ukrainians who plan to travel to the Middle East should take into account the circulation of Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) in the Middle East region. The virus was first diagnosed in Saudi Arabia back in 2012. However, new human cases of MERS-CoV are still being reported, including lethal ones,” the message says.
As noted, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) is an acute respiratory viral infection caused by the MERS-CoV coronavirus, which is pathogenic for humans.
In particular, the course of the disease may be asymptomatic, and may be accompanied by severe clinical manifestations such as high body temperature, cough and shortness of breath. Often, patients are diagnosed with pneumonia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the infectious agent is limited to the Arabian Peninsula. In particular, most cases were reported in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. Outside the region, isolated imported cases of the disease were recorded. However, travelers are advised to be vigilant and take into account the likelihood of infection in the listed countries.
“During the period from January 1 to March 11, 2021, Saudi Arabia reported to WHO about seven new cases of MERS-CoV infection, including three deaths. The patients’ age is from 48 to 84 years. Three of them had contact with camels. All infected had concomitant diseases: diabetes mellitus, hypertension or chronic kidney disease. This fact underlines the previously existing evidence that people with just such diseases, as well as lung diseases and weak immunity, become the main target for MERS-CoV,” the Center said.
It is also noted that MERS-CoV infection occurs through direct or indirect contact with camels. The virus is transmitted from person to person within the family.
Travelers are warned before visiting the Middle East to avoid close contact with animals, especially camels, consuming raw camel milk or eating meat that has not been properly processed, to refrain from visiting crowded places, to follow general rules of hygiene such as regular washing hands before and after touching animals and avoiding contact with sick animals, and follow food hygiene practices.
The Adonis medical group of companies plans to more than double its bed capacity, Group Development Director Vitaliy Hyrin has said. “Now we have about 60 beds, including maternity hospitals. We want to increase the bed capacity to 150,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Hyrin said that at present, for a private clinic, the optimal minimum number of beds for its full workload is from twelve, plus one operating room.
He also said that Adonis is studying development opportunities in the regions.
“This is definitely an interesting market, I believe that the Kyiv market is, give or take, saturated, although the number of residents of Kyiv is growing. The paying capacity of clients and patients is growing. In principle, we have something to do in Kyiv city and the region, but the prospects are definitely a market outside Kyiv region,” he said.
Adonis, a multidisciplinary medical center for adults and children, has been operating since 1997. Currently, Adonis has 10 branches in Kyiv city and the region, including a research laboratory and two maternity hospitals.
Quotes of the interbank foreign exchange market of Ukraine (UAH per € 1, period from 01.03.21 to 31.03.21)
UKRAINIAN POPULATION BY REGIONS AS OF dEC 30, 2020 (graphically)
Fitch Ratings has affirmed Ukraine’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘B’ with a stable outlook, the agency said on its website.
Ukraine intends to increase the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) by 2025 to $15 billion per year, while at the end of 2020 their outflow amounted to $420 million, and in 2021 the National Bank predicts a recovery in FDI inflows at the level of $3 billion.
Ukraine in 2020 climbed from 80th to 63rd place in the Social Progress Index among 163 countries with score of 73.38 points versus 66.97 in 2019, according to the index data.
The Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine estimates the drop in GDP in January 2021 at 2.6-2.8%, according to the January review of economic activity in the country posted on its website.
The total public debt of Ukraine in February 2021 increased by 0.74% in U.S. dollars, to $ 91.41 billion and decreased by 0.21% in hryvnias, to UAH 2.552 trillion, according to data on the website of the Ministry of Finance. The ministry said the total national debt decreased in hryvnia equivalent by UAH 5.28 billion, mainly due to a reduction in guaranteed debt.
The Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture maintains its forecast for the growth of Ukraine’s GDP in 2021 at 4.6%, Minister Ihor Petrashko, has said, commenting on a statement by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Yulia Svyrydenko about the expected GDP growth of 5.1% in 2021.
The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in February 2021 fell by 47.5%, to $0.32 billion, while the deficit of foreign trade in January-February 2021 slightly grew – by 5.9%, to $0.6 billion
The growth of consumer prices in Ukraine in February 2021 accelerated year-over-year to 7.5% from 6.1% in January and from 5% in December 2020, the State Statistics Service said.
The total public debt of Ukraine in February 2021 increased by 0.74% in U.S. dollars, to $ 91.41 billion and decreased by 0.21% in hryvnias, to UAH 2.552 trillion, according to data on the website of the Ministry of Finance.
Prices in Ukrainian industry in February 2021 increased by 7.8%, while in January 2021 – by 5.2%, and in December 2020 – by 1.8%, the State Statistics Service said.
Industrial production in Ukraine in February 2021 decreased by 4.6% compared to the pre-COVID February 2020, and adjusted for the effect of calendar days (last year was a leap year), the reduction was noticeably smaller – 2%, the State Statistics Service said.
The lack of institutional regulation in the agro-industrial complex led to a decrease in agricultural production by 11.5% in 2020 compared to the previous year, and crop production fell by 13.6%, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Roman Leshchenko said during a discussion of the draft National Economic Strategy 2030.
The transport companies of Ukraine in January 2021 reduced carriage of goods by 2.2% compared to January 2020, to 42.8 million tonnes, the State Statistics Service has said.
The Pivnichny (Northern) Economic Court of Appeal upheld an appeal of CJSC Philip Morris Ukraine and Philip Morris Sales and Distribution LLC in case No. 910/17723/19, canceled the decision of the Kyiv Economic Court dated August 5, 2020, and canceled the fines for a total amount of UAH 1.18 billion imposed on them in 2019 by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU). According to the court’s decision, promulgated in the unified public register of court rulings, the Pivnichny Economic Court of Appeal ruled to invalidate paragraphs 1 and 11 of AMCU decision No. 697-r dated October 10, 2019 that concern the PMI group of companies, as well as invalidate paragraphs 3 and 4 of this solution.
In addition, the court ruled to collect UAH 14,400 of court fee from the AMCU in favor of OJSC Philip Morris Ukraine (the settlement of Dokuchayevske, Kharkiv region) and Philip Morris Sales and Distribution LLC (Kyiv).
The Pivnichny Economic Court of Appeal also ruled to return the materials of case No. 910/17723/19 to the Economic Court of the city of Kyiv.
The decision of the appellate instance entered into force from the date of its awarding.
As reported, the AMCU in October 2019 imposed a fine of UAH 6.5 billion on four tobacco producers and distributor Tedis Ukraine for anticompetitive concerted actions. Later, Philip Morris Ukraine paid a fine to the AMCU in the total amount of more than UAH 1.18 billion in order to avoid the accrual of penalties, but in February 2020, PMI submitted a notification to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine that Ukraine had violated a number of obligations under investment protection agreements.
The companies of the Philip Morris International group on December 21, 2020 also filed a claim about bilateral investment arbitration against the government of Ukraine with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (Washington, DC, the United States) in connection with the unfair, in their opinion, decision of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) to fine them UAH 1.2 billion in the case of the wholesale distributor Tedis Ukraine.
