Ukraine not to lift January lockdown despite decline in COVID-19 cases

"As for the tough lockdown from January 8 to January 24, we, as the Ministry of Health, are not going to make appropriate changes to cancel it," Stepanov said.

He noted that despite a decrease in officially confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Ministry of Health, the number of patients with COVID-19 will grow after the New Year holidays.

In addition, Stepanov recalled that in January-February there will be a traditional increase in the number of patients with influenza and acute viral respiratory infections.

"Patients with influenza have the same complications as COVID-19 patients, and it is very important for us to approach this increase in the number of influenza patients with a maximum reduction in the burden on the medical system, with a minimum number of COVID-19 patients. This is very important, because our medical system should always provide all the necessary medical care and it should not work in the stressful mode in which it worked before," Stepanov said.

Some 4,385 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Ukraine on December 27. Seventy-five patients died from COVID-19. A total of 1,030,374 people have contracted COVID-19 in Ukraine since the beginning of the pandemic.

op