KIEV, December 10. /TASS/. Ukraine’s COVID-19 case tally may reach 25,000 per day by early January 2021, the country's Prime Minister Denis Shmygal stated in an interview with the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper.
"Preliminary calculations, which we see, predict it to be somewhere near 20,000-25,000 COVID-19 cases per day for the first ten days of January," Shmygal said. In order to curb the coronavirus spread and to prevent the country's healthcare system’s collapse, the cabinet of ministers previously decided to impose a strict lockdown from January 8 to 24. "We won't wait for 32 [thousand patients per day] so that to prevent the healthcare system’s collapse. Of course, the lockdown should be introduced before we approach this figure," Shmygal added.
The prime minister reported that the country’s hospitals had set aside 62,145 beds for patients with COVID-19, 33,216 of which are oxygen-supported.
Every day the number of beds equipped with oxygen supply systems grows, according to Shmygal. "Our limit is 55% of all beds, or 91,000," he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian Health Minister Maxim Stepanov reported that over the past 24 hours the number of new COVID-19 infections hit 13,371, a 6.2% increase from the previous day when 12,585 new cases were reported.
In total, since the start of the pandemic, 858,714 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed, 465,021 people have recovered, and the death toll has climbed to 14,470.
Ukraine saw its first coronavirus case on March 3. On March 17, quarantine measures were imposed across the country. Until February 28, 2021, a state of emergency, as well as a general lockdown will be in effect. In line with the cabinet of ministers’ decision, Ukraine will be under a strict lockdown from January 8 to 24, 2021.