Ukraine's Minister Of Health Tests Positive For COVID-19

Illustration of Ukraine society (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Ukraine's Health Minister Maksym Stepanov on Saturday, November 14 said he was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 some time after local authorities announced the highest positive cases in one day.

"This is a war, every day the virus takes the lives of the Ukrainian people," Stepanov said as he announced the daily cases broadcast live on national television. He said 12,524 new cases were found in the past 24 hours in Ukraine.

While on the previous day, the number of new patients reached 11,787 people.

The total number of positive cases in Ukraine reached 525,176 and 9,508 of them died.

Stepanov, 45, later wrote on the texting app Telegram, "although I have been careful and followed health protocols, I confirmed positive for COVID-19 today".

He said he would continue to work from the isolation room.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy is currently still being treated in hospital after being confirmed positive for COVID-19.

The number of daily cases in Ukraine began to rise since September, forcing the government to impose a weekly quarantine to control the spread of the disease.

However, authorities in several cities said they would ignore government instructions as the quarantine paralyzed the economy.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal on Friday, November 13 said the government's decision was binding for all parties and Stepanov explained that the quarantine policy could help reduce the burden on local health workers and health services.

"If we reduce the spread of the disease for two days (on the weekend), we will reduce the burden on the health system significantly," said Stepanov.

The quarantine policy on weekends is November 14-30. During the quarantine, most shops and public facilities will be closed except supermarkets, pharmacies, hospitals and public transportation.