Mariupol has stabilized the situation with COVID-19 and is preparing for a possible third wave of the pandemic. Mayor Vadym Boichenko set a task for hospital directors and specialized departments of the municipality to calculate the required number of beds, oxygen points, medicines and personal protective equipment.
"We have made the right decisions in the fight against the pandemic. If in the first wave there were enough 100 oxygen points, in the second - we deployed 343. These and other measures taken allowed us to manage the bed stock and stabilize the situation. If in the first wave there were 50 new cases of infection every day, now there are 150. This is much lower than the 400 cases per day that were in October. Now, in general, the situation with COVID-19 is feverish in the country, while Mariupol has a stable dynamics, " Vadym Boichenko said.
To continue to maintain a stable situation, the Mayor spoke about the need to begin preparations in advance for a possible third wave of the pandemic, which may occur after the New Year holidays. According to the director of the city hospital №9 Olexander Zheleznyak, Mariupol has the experience and algorithm to help avoid complications.
"Assuming that there will be a third wave of coronavirus, we are already doing a lot of work to replenish our stocks - disinfectants, personal protective equipment and medicines. The help of the Metinvest Group's plants, which continue to work on oxygen points, is invaluable, ” he said.
The director of the city hospital №4 Volodymyr Zhygil emphasized that they were staffed for 3, and in some positions for 4 months ahead. He assigns a great role in the fight against COVID-19 to the responsible attitude of residents to picture restrictions.
“It all depends on the discipline: wearing a mask, hand treatment and keeping your distance. The epidemiological situation in Mariupol depends on our discipline with you ," he added.
The director of the city hospital 1 Larisa Mamaeva emphasized that after overcoming COVID-19 it is necessary to be ready for the flu, as it is also a serious infection.
"We can expect the third wave of coronavirus in the second half of January, when the holidays take place. The more people get sick, the higher the immunity of the community. To predict the course of the further epidemiological situation, we must follow the path of China - they do research on a certain group of people for the presence of antibodies, " the director of the emergency care hospital Serhiy Orleansky suggested.
At the end of the briefing, Vadym Boichenko instructed to develop measures to ensure that Mariupol is ready for a possible third wave of the pandemic, able to protect medical staff and residents.
"Our main task is to maintain a stable situation so as not to overload hospitals. We will develop the necessary measures and will wait for a possible third wave of the pandemic. But without a firm and disciplined position of the community, this is also impossible, " the Mayor, urging residents to adhere to the rules of prevention and quarantine restrictions said.