The incidence of ARVI is stabilizing after the peak in February - Ministry of Health

The peak incidence of ARVI, influenza, and COVID-19 in Ukraine was recorded in February, and the level is now stabilizing, but there is still an excess of the epidemic threshold at a high level in five regions, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported on Wednesday, writes UNN.

From February 24 to March 2, 273,220 people fell ill in the country, of which 144,335 were children. The peak incidence of ARVI, influenza, and COVID-19 at the national level was recorded in February, and now in March, there is a gradual decrease in the registration of new cases at the national level.

According to regional data, from February 24 to March 2, 9,048 patients were hospitalized with complications, and currently, there are "enough hospital beds for patients with ARVI complications, the hospitalization rate is not exceeded".

It is reported that the excess of the epidemic threshold at a high level has been recorded in five regions: Zhytomyr, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernivtsi. In another 12 regions, a medium level is observed: Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil, and Chernihiv. "In these regions or specific settlements, the regional commission on emergency situations may impose enhanced anti-epidemic measures, so-called 'local quarantine'. In particular, this concerns distance learning in certain classes in schools and educational institutions, limiting the number of visitors in establishments, and other anti-epidemic measures," the Ministry of Health noted.

According to the Center for Public Health, in Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions, the level is low. In other regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv, the situation with epidemic activity is stable, and a pre-epidemic level is observed.

Overall, compared to the previous epidemic season, as noted by the Ministry of Health, the incidence is 13% lower. "The incidence of ARVI is due to the circulation of influenza viruses in 22 regions of the country. Since the beginning of the circulation of influenza viruses in the country - since January - 33 deaths have been registered due to complications of the disease, of which 4 were among children," the Ministry of Health reported. According to doctors, the deceased had not received preventive vaccinations against influenza.

Data since the beginning of the epidemic season

Overall, since the beginning of the epidemic season, from September 30, 2024, to March 2, 2025, 2,991,977 people (8.3% of the country's population) have been infected with ARVI, influenza, and COVID-19, which, according to the Center for Public Health, is 13.1% less than the same period of the 2023-2024 season. Most were found to have respiratory viral infections, and only 18,829 patients were confirmed to have COVID-19. 

According to the Center for Public Health, since the beginning of the current epidemic season, the number of deaths from influenza and ARVI is 117 cases.