The occupancy of beds by patients with COVID-19 in Ukraine as of Monday morning is 52%, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
“Some 53,445 beds have already been introduced for the treatment of patients with COVID-19, of which 27,792 beds are occupied by patients. The occupancy of beds is 52%. We continue to introduce beds, we can increase the maximum to almost 90,000 (50% of all beds),” he said.
“Some 25.996 beds are provided with oxygen. In general, 12,168 beds are provided with oxygen throughout the country. But in some regions there is a tense situation – this is Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Kharkiv regions,” the minister added.
The Cabinet of Ministers has identified as a priority a project for production of ventilators, two waste incinerators and an air launch space rocket complex, a total of 103 priority investment projects in the approved list until 2023.
As the correspondent of the Interfax-Ukraine agency reports, the government approved the relevant order with a three-day revision at a meeting on Wednesday, November 18.
According to the draft decree, four out of 103 projects provide for financing entirely from the state budget, and another 43 projects partially from the state and/or local budget.
As indicated in the document, among the priority investment projects are the organization of the production of ventilators at the expense of the investor, the state budget and other sources, as well as the construction of a plant for solid household waste processing (ensuring environmental safety in Kyiv) at the expense of an investor.
In addition, among the priority projects is the construction of a waste sorting line in Drohobych (Lviv region) at the expense of the state budget and the local budget.
Among the investment projects that are planned to be implemented at the expense of the state budget and international technical assistance are the modernization of the An-124-100 and An-225 aircraft families at Antonov State Enterprise, an air launch rocket and space complex, the Observatory International Scientific Center on the Pip Ivan mountain – a platform for the development of the Carpathian region.
In addition, it is planned to implement a project to prepare the production of an infrared homing head for guided air missiles, as well as to expand the Yahodyn international checkpoint – exclusively at the expense of the state budget.
Also, at the expense of the investor, local budgets and the state budget, it is planned to implement the construction of waste incinerators in Kramatorsk and Mariupol, the construction of the tourist and transport infrastructure of the Shatsk National Natural Park (plus international technical assistance funds), and to build the H2O Nova Kakhovka Olympic Sports Center.
Structure of import of services in 1st halfyear of 2020 (graphically).
As of November 19, Ukrainian agricultural producers harvested 78.5 million tonnes of basic crops from an area of 23.4 million hectares, in particular, 60.3 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops were harvested from an area of about 14.6 million hectares (95% forecast).
According to a report on the website of the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture, 24.5 million tonnes of corn was harvested from an area of 4.7 million hectares (86%), 13 million tonnes of sunflower from 6.4 million hectares (100%), 2.7 million tonnes of soybeans from 1.3 million hectares (97%), 243,700 tonnes of millet from 150,300 hectares (100%) and 105,600 tonnes of buckwheat from 78,400 hectares (100%).
Some 8.1 million tonnes of sugar beet was dug from an area of 190,700 hectares (88%).
As reported, the Economy Ministry predicted the grain harvest in 2020 at 68 million tonnes. Of the early grains, the following have already been threshed: 25.1 million tonnes of wheat from an area of 6.6 million hectares; 7.8 million tonnes of barley from 2.4 million hectares; 516,200 tonnes of peas from 238,000 hectares; 2.56 million tonnes of rapeseed from 1.1 million hectares.
Ukraine expects to receive the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX initiative in the first half of 2021, Ukrainian Health Minister Maxym Stepanov has said.
“The first tranche will include 1.2 million doses and is expected to reach Ukraine in the first half of 2021,” Stepanov said during an online briefing on Friday.
The necessary technical documents are to be signed before December 7, he said.
“We plan primarily to vaccinate people from risk groups, such as medical workers, people aged 65 and older, and people having chronic diseases,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ten pharmaceutical companies are currently completing Phase 3 of the clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines and are planning to have their vaccines certified soon, Stepanov said.
In Ukraine, some 426,690 people died in January-September 2020, which is 2.3% less than in the same period last year, and 220,660 were born, which is 5.4% less year-over-year, the State Statistics Service reported on Friday, citing data from the Ministry of Justice.
Taking into account the data released earlier, in September this year there was a significant increase in the number of deaths compared to September last year – by 15.4%, to 48,370 people.
September became the third month this year, when the number of deaths exceeded last year’s data: the first was June with 8.4%, and the second was August with 3.9%.
At the same time, the June indicator could be associated with an unusually sharp decrease in mortality in May 2020 – by 16.9% compared to May 2019, and could be explained by strong fluctuations in statistics for May-June last year.
The number of newborns in September also increased as compared to September last year – by 7.3%, to 27,520.
According to the State Statistics Service, in the first nine months of this year, 4,300, or 1%, died from COVID-19. However, in September, the share of this cause of death increased to 3.6%, and the total number of deaths from the new disease was 1,740.
According to the Ministry of Health, in October COVID-19 became the cause of death for 3,110 people, and in 19 days of November – 3,290 people, which means that in November its share of the total number of deaths may already exceed 10%.
The main cause of death in the first nine months of this year, according to the State Statistics Service, remained ischemic heart disease – 199,100, or 46.7%, and in general, diseases of the circulatory system became the cause of death in 67.4% of cases.
Some 57,980 people (13.6%) died from cancer in January-September, 5,290 from infectious and parasitic diseases (including about 2,250 from tuberculosis and AIDS), and 17,270 from diseases of the digestive system.
External causes led to the death of 20,700, including 4,710 of deliberate self-harm, and 2,750 in transport accidents.
