First coronavirus death reported in Ukrainian army

Authorities in Ukraine have confirmed on Tuesday that the first coronavirus death has been registered in the Ukrainian army.

According to Ukraine’s Medical Forces Command: "Four cases of the COVID-19 acute respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus have been registered in the Ukrainian armed forces, of which one case is lethal," the Command informed on its Facebook account.

Four COVID-19 coronavirus cases, including one fatality, were registered in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 07:00 on April 7.

A female staffer at a military unit in the Ivano-Frankovsk Region has died. A total of 87 servicemen are currently in isolation, including self-isolation, the Medical Forces Command reported. A total of 1,462 coronavirus cases were registered in Ukraine as of Tuesday morning, of which 45 people have died and 28 patients have recovered, the Ukrainian Health Ministry informed.

"With regard to the deceased person: a female member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine serving in a military unit in Ivano-Frankivsk region had a diagnosis of acute respiratory infection and had been undergoing outpatient treatment since March 20, 2020. On March 27, 2020, her condition worsened, she was admitted to the central hospital of the town of Nadvirna. 

On March 30, 2020, she was transferred to the intensive care unit and died at 06:00 on April 6, 2020. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed late on April 6, 2020," according to the press service of the Medical Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It is also reported the analysis of confirmed cases among the military and civilians indicates that most often the infection spreads during episodic meetings with friends and relatives who are not among those with whom they communicate every day or live together. The Medical Force Command calls for observance of the rules of quarantine and personal hygiene.

In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, roughly 1,350,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 75,000 deaths have been reported, according to an AFP tally


Meanwhile, over 286,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.