A new coronavirus strain known as Kraken has been detected in 6 oblasts of Ukraine.
Verkhovna Rada reports this.
The virus has spread to Lviv and Cherkasy oblasts. Earlier it was detected in Zakarpattia, Ternopil, Sumy, and Odesa oblasts. The Verkhovna Rada emphasises that this type of coronavirus is transmitted from person to person faster than the previous one known as Omicron, but is characterised by a mild course of the disease.
Currently, the Ministry of Health does not predict a significant increase in the number of patients due to the new strain. The latest statistics show a slight increase in new confirmed cases. In total, almost 10,000 confirmed cases were detected from February 17 to 23, of which 2,900 were hospitalised.
At the same time, 33,000 people received COVID-19 vaccines during the week. Mykhaylo Radutskyi, Head of the Temporary Working Group on Healthcare Reform, urges Ukrainians to continue getting vaccinated.