Covid-19: As Ukrainians contend with Russia’s unprovoked invasion, the virus is complicating the picture

Amid the fighting, WHO officials have noted the “remarkable” continuance of reporting of Covid-19 cases and deaths, but “are also seeing severe strain being placed on those systems,” Dr. Catherine Smallwood, WHO’s senior emergency officer, said at a Tuesday press conference. Ukraine reported 40,265 new cases and 758 deaths last week, a sharp drop from the figures the week before of 111,224 cases and 1,363 deaths, according to WHO data. The country has one of the lowest inoculation rates in the region, with 34 out of 100 people having received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine, the WHO data shows.

Attacks on health care services, including hospitals and other facilities, have been intensifying since the start of the invasion, with 16 confirmed reports and more currently being verified, Hans Kluge, WHO’S regional director for Europe, said Tuesday. The country is also suffering from a critical oxygen shortage, exacerbated by the closure of at least three major oxygen plants. WHO has sent 500 oxygen concentrators to Ukraine, but Kluge warned that Covid-related deaths “will increase as oxygen shortages continue,” with older people “disproportionately affected as their access to health care is disrupted.”

As refugees move into neighboring countries, public health officials are imploring those nations to serve the complex health needs of fleeing Ukrainians, which range from mental health services to protection from infectious diseases like Covid-19. The health ministries of those neighboring countries “reassured me there is no shortage of Covid-19 vaccines,” Kluge said.

Overall, Kluge said, Covid-19 cases are declining in Europe, but the war is changing the picture. “It is my deepest sorrow to see my region emerging from two terrible pandemic years being now confronted with the devastating impact of military hostilities on dozens of millions of its people in Ukraine and beyond,” he added.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED.

Q: Should people be taking off their masks now they’re not required to wear them?

“It’s still a good idea to mask, especially if you are in crowded, poorly ventilated locations. This is particularly important if you are immunocompromised or otherwise have chronic medical conditions that could make you more likely to have severe outcomes if you became infected with Covid-19,” Wen added. “Others should decide based on how much they want to avoid contracting Covid-19 and the importance of being unmasked.”

READS OF THE WEEK

Women in the world’s richest nations feel let down by their governments following the pandemic 

An average of more than 60% of women in G7 countries whose lives were changed by the Covid-19 pandemic say their governments did not provide them with much support to deal with those changes, according to a far-reaching new poll by CNN. 

CNN’s survey finds that although both men and women in G7 countries who experienced disruption to their lives from the pandemic felt they were largely unsupported by their governments, the sentiment is more pronounced among women. 

In none of these seven countries did a majority of women say they received a good amount or more of the support that they needed. 

Hong Kong faces a ‘preventable disaster’ after betting on zero Covid. In Europe, Austria drops vaccine mandate 

As cases rose this year, with locally transmitted cases surging past 312,000 in the past two weeks, the government reimposed its strictest rules, limiting public gatherings to two, closing restaurants and bars after 6 p.m., and roping off public playgrounds. 

But it hasn’t been enough. With few other levers to pull, the government plans to launch a mandatory mass-testing drive, in an attempt to purge the city of Covid. 

 

Study links even mild Covid-19 to changes in the brain 

People who have even a mild case of Covid-19 may have accelerated aging of the brain and other changes to it, according to a new study. 

It is normal for people to lose 0.2% to 0.3% of gray matter every year in the memory-related areas of the brain as they age, but the study showed that people who had been infected with the coronavirus lost an additional 0.2% to 2% of tissue compared with those who hadn’t. 

TOP TIP

Here’s how to get free antiviral medicine if you test positive for Covid-19 

The rollout of the US government’s Covid-19 test-to-treat program is underway, with in-pharmacy clinics ordering shipments of Covid-19 antiviral medications and some locations expecting to offer the service within days.

The Covid-19 antiviral pills Paxlovid and molnupiravir are already available free of charge in the United States, but quick access can be challenging for some people. 

TODAY’S PODCAST