On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced the COVID-19 pandemic on the planet. On May 5, 2023, the WHO announced that the 2019 coronavirus disease is no longer a global public health emergency of international concern, UNN reports.
How it all started
The first cases of COVID-19 were detected in China in December 2019. In January 2020, the WHO declared it a public health emergency of international concern, and in March 2020, it was declared a pandemic.
At that time, there was no vaccine or specific antiviral drugs against the disease. Primary treatment was symptomatic and supportive. Hand washing with soap and water, covering the mouth when coughing, social distancing, as well as observation and self-isolation for people who suspect infection were important for prevention.
At the end of 2020, several global pharmaceutical companies announced the completion of the development of coronavirus vaccines. Since then, a mass vaccination campaign has gradually begun around the world.
During the pandemic, nearly 700 million people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus, and about seven million of them have died.
Coronavirus in Ukraine. Key dates
- February 19-20, 2020 - a mass protest in Novi Sanzhary, Poltava region, where Ukrainians who arrived from China were accommodated;
- March 3, 2020 - the first officially confirmed case of coronavirus in Ukraine. It was recorded in the Chernivtsi region. A man who came from Italy fell ill;
- March 11, 2020 - The Ukrainian government makes the first decision to introduce quarantine;
- March 13, 2020 - the first death from coronavirus in Ukraine. A 71-year-old woman died in Radomyshl, Zhytomyr region;
- March 20, 2020 - the first coronavirus patient recovered, a 39-year-old man from Chernivtsi;
- February 24, 2021 - the coronavirus vaccination campaign has started in Ukraine;
- July 1, 2023 - quarantine is lifted in Ukraine.
According to statistics, as of the beginning of March 2024, more than 5.5 million cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Ukraine. Almost 112.5 thousand Ukrainians have died from COVID-19 and its complications. Fully vaccinated are 15.2 million Ukrainians.