Ukraine reports highest daily COVID cases since April

Ukraine on Thursday reported its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since April as authorities prepared to introduce compulsory vaccinations for teachers and government officials.

A government tally reported 11,757 new infections over the past 24 hours, while 194 fatalities and 2,556 hospitalisations were recorded over the same period.

Authorities in the post-Soviet country of around 40 million people initially struggled with a lack of vaccines and are now fighting an uphill battle to convince a vaccine-sceptic population to get innoculated.

The vaccination campaign has also been hampered by a proliferation of forged vaccination certificates and fake COVID-19 PCR tests.

Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Thursday that his ministry was preparing to introduce compulsory vaccinations for teachers and government officials, local television said.

Unvaccinated employees will be at risk of losing their jobs if they refuse to get a jab, he said.

Four vaccines including AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna are available in Ukraine, but only 14 percent of Ukrainians have been fully inoculated.

In mid-September, the government re-introduced anti-virus measures that restrict mass events and limit occupancy rates at cinemas, theatres and other venues.

Ukraine has recorded more than 2.4 million coronavirus cases and over 56,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

© 2021 AFP