Amid so much news about bombings and attacks, a relevant aspect about the war in Ukraine has gone unnoticed by many analyses: the conflict takes place in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a disease that affected 5 million and killed 112,000 citizens of this country located in eastern Europe.
A constant concern of international health agencies is the lack of essential equipment and medicines to ensure the survival of patients with Covid in the most serious condition, such as oxygen.
On websites that compile statistics on the global public health crisis, such as Our World In Data, created at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, updates on the numbers of Covid cases and deaths in Ukraine were stalled for a week from now. February 24, the day Russian military forces crossed the borders and began to invade neighboring territory.
At that time, Ukraine appeared to be coming off a fourth wave of cases and deaths related to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. On February 9, the country broke the record for new infections, with the registration of 37,000 new diagnoses in 24 hours, as you can see in the charts below.
Since then, that number has been falling and hit 26,700 on 2/24. On March 3, the notifications were updated again, but it is expected that the country’s surveillance systems have faced many problems and the numbers do not represent 100% the reality.
In Ukraine, the daily peak of deaths took place in November 2021, with 712 deaths from Covid on the 12th.
In the current wave of the omicron, the mortality curve remains at a lower level, as is observed in other countries around the world, although it still did not show signs of decline until February 24, when notifications about the country had a a week’s break in the international repositories.
Lack of resources
In addition to the “blackout” of data on the pandemic in this first week of war, international entities draw attention to the scarcity of basic supplies to treat the most critical patients.
On February 27, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a first warning on the matter, saying that “the oxygen supply is reaching a very dangerous point in Ukraine”.
“Trucks are no longer able to transport oxygen tanks from factories to hospitals across the country, including the capital Kiev itself,” the organization said in a statement published on its website.
“Most hospitals can run out of oxygen reserves within 24 hours, putting thousands of lives at risk,” the text continues.
The WHO estimates that between 1,700 and 2,000 Ukrainians are currently hospitalized with Covid and may need oxygen.
The organization also recalled that this input is not only for those who have complications from the coronavirus infection, but is also prescribed for other critical conditions, which affect from newborn babies to the elderly.
In a press conference held on March 2nd, representatives of the entity once again hit the same key.
“At least three major oxygen plants in Ukraine are now closed and we are looking for ways to bring this input from neighboring countries to deliver where it is in short supply,” said Ethiopian biologist Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO.
The organization’s leader also highlighted that there is an “urgent need” to establish routes for these medical supplies to be transported through the regions where the conflict is unfolding.
In the second round of discussions between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, which took place on the 3rd, one of the consensuses was the creation of “humanitarian corridors”, which can protect refugees and guarantee the arrival of medical supplies to the places where they are most urgent.
Irish doctor Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, also reinforced the urgency of the matter.
“Oxygen is a lifesaving input. And when you need it, it’s for now. You can’t wait until tomorrow or next week. There’s no ‘waiting list’ for oxygen.”
“If oxygen and other critical drugs are not available, people will die needlessly.”
What does the government of Ukraine say
On the website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the most prominent content is related to the urgency of the war and the risks related to attacks and bombings.
You can read informative texts, for example, about what citizens should do when they hear sirens, how to prepare a basic first-aid kit or how to protect yourself during firefights with small arms and heavy artillery.
Among the highlights on the homepage is also a WHO guide on how to develop “important skills in times of stress” and an appeal for foreign health professionals to come to help during the crisis.
In a press release released on March 3, the ministry appreciates the international solidarity and informs that more than 500 doctors, nurses and paramedics from the European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Israel, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Jordan, Brazil and other nations are already volunteering to work in Ukrainian hospitals.
More specifically about Covid and the lack of basic supplies, the government said on February 2 that it had made new deliveries to hospitals and that the oxygen supply situation was “under control” at that time.
“We would like to inform you that logistics partners are working, but the deadlines, unfortunately, are adjusted in light of the aggressive actions of the troops of the Russian Federation,” the ministry representatives wrote.
What do international institutions say?
In addition to the WHO and the Ukrainian government itself, several other health entities have spoken out in recent days about the war in Ukraine.
Doctors Without Borders, for example, stated that its teams on Ukrainian soil are “deeply concerned about the consequences of the conflict for the people and communities.”
The organization also said that it is conducting emergency response activities not only in the cities where the conflicts take place, but also in Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, the countries that are receiving Ukrainian refugees.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is adopting a similar strategy and says it will “stay close to affected communities, to help them deal with basic needs and the necessary preparation for these challenging times”.
According to the United Nations (UN), more than 1 million citizens of Ukraine have had to leave their homes in recent days due to the war.
And this massive displacement also brings other concerns related to the pandemic: the impact that this locomotion of so many individuals in a short space of time can have on the transmission of the coronavirus in border regions and neighboring countries is still unclear.
Until the 24th, only 36% of Ukrainians had received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, according to the latest records available on the website. Our World In Data.
It remains to be seen how countries and international organizations will organize themselves to avoid as much as possible the creation of new chains of transmission of the coronavirus in the region and guarantee access to vaccination and health services for all refugees.
