WHO sees October COVID surge in Ukraine, cites polio concerns
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The World Well being Organisation expects an increase in COVID-19 in Ukraine to peak in October, presumably bringing hospitals near their capability threshold, WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned on Monday.
“We are actually seeing a rise in circumstances of COVID-19 in Ukraine. We challenge that transmission might peak in early October and hospitals might method their capability threshold,” Ghebreyesus advised WHO’S Regional Committee for Europe convention in Tel Aviv.
“Oxygen shortages are predicted as a result of main provide sources are in occupied components of the nation,” he mentioned.
Oxygen is crucial for sufferers with a variety of situations, together with COVID-19 and people with different important diseases stemming from problems of being pregnant, childbirth, sepsis, accidents and trauma.
Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine has significantly impacted healthcare, with the WHO confirming greater than 500 assaults on well being infrastructure there, leading to some 100 deaths. Ghebreyesus additionally mentioned that the struggle might improve polio unfold.
“We’re additionally deeply involved concerning the potential for the worldwide unfold of polio because of the gaps in immunization protection and mass inhabitants motion linked to the struggle,” he mentioned.
Ukraine has low vaccination protection for each COVID and polio, an infectious illness primarily affecting kids that may trigger paralysis and kill in uncommon circumstances. Two circumstances of polio had been reported in Ukraine in 2021.
This yr, Israel, Britain and the U.S have all reported polio transmission in main cities, elevating considerations concerning the an infection spreading extra broadly.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Extra reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London)
