The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has supplied innovative drugs for COVID-19 to the regions, in particular 20,000 bottles of Bamlanivimab and 40,000 bottles of Etesevimab, the Ministry said with reference to Deputy Health Minister for European Integration Oleksandr Komarida.
“In June, the working group made a decision on the readiness to include in the treatment protocol [for patients with COVID-19] the drugs Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab, if available in Ukraine. Today, the drugs are already in the regions, and accordingly the updated protocol will regulate their use,” said Komarida.
The drugs were delivered to Ukraine on September 4 with the assistance of the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States as a humanitarian aid provided by the American charitable organization Direct Relief.
According to Health Minister Viktor Liashko, the latest agreements on receiving this assistance were agreed upon during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States.
The ministry notes that the mechanism of action of the drugs is to block the attachment of the virus to the cell membrane, which makes it impossible for SARS-CoV-2 to enter human cells, neutralizes the effect of the virus and helps prevent the development and treatment of COVID-19.
Mobile network operator Kyivstar has launched 4G communication in the 900 MHz range in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where refarming of radio frequencies and reconfiguration of operator equipment have recently been completed.
“Thus, 4G in the 900 MHz band is already available in all regions of Ukraine. This is the completion of the first important stage of expanding the coverage of high-speed Internet in rural areas, which was launched in June 2020,” the operator’s press service said on Thursday.
Another 84,000 people living in 90 small towns or villages received access to 4G-network from Kyivstar in Donetsk and Luhansk regions today.
“The construction of 4G network in small villages is the most important tool to bridge the digital divide in Ukraine. To make this possible, Kyivstar voluntarily gave up part of its frequencies, which were then distributed among other operators to launch LTE in the 900 MHz band. High-speed Internet is starting to work today in small and remote villages, including those where only 50-100 people live,” President of Kyivstar Alexander Komarov said.
In general, high-speed mobile Internet from Kyivstar is already available in almost 14,000 cities, towns and villages, where 85% of the Ukrainian population lives.
According to the operator, half of these settlements were connected to 4G in 2020.
The company plans to provide at least 90% of the country’s population with high-speed mobile Internet by July 2022.
“The deployment of the national 4G network in rural areas was accelerated thanks to the use of the 900 MHz band, which has a larger coverage radius compared to the 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands. This was preceded by two years of painstaking work with the participation of all mobile network operators, the regulator, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and other public bodies,” Kyivstar said.
Since the beginning of 2020, Kyivstar has invested UAH 4.3 billion in the construction of the network, increasing investments by 22% compared to last year, and in general, over the past five years, the company’s expenses, including on the development of 3G and 4G communication in Ukraine, exceeded UAH 28 billion.
Retail turnover in Ukraine by regions in jan-June 2020 (UAH Mln)
Ukrainian population by regions as of March 1, 2020 (graphically)
