On Monday, the CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added Ukraine to the “very high” risk category for its travel advisory list as the country grapples with an outbreak of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Ukraine has hit a daily record of 734 deaths due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, and hospitalizations increased by more than a fifth compared to the previous week, according to Reuters.
On Monday, the CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added Ukraine to the “very high” risk category for its travel advisory list as the country grapples with an outbreak of COVID-19 infections and deaths. (Photo: Reuters/ NY Times)
From Level 3 to Level 4
CDC has added the second-largest nation in Europe from level 3, the high-risk level, to level four which is the very high-risk level. According to CNN, it is the second week in a row that the agency has moved only one nation to Level 4 ranks. Singapore was the city-state that was added last week.
According to The Hill, the CDC advises American Travelers to avoid traveling to Ukraine. If it is necessary, they should be fully vaccinated first and must follow the precautions like social distancing and wearing a mask. However, CDC warns travelers who are fully vaccinated that they may still be at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 variants due to the surge of cases in Ukraine.
FILE PHOTO: A health worker stands near an ambulance carrying a COVID-19 patient, as they wait in the queue at a hospital for people infected with the coronavirus disease in Kyiv, Ukraine October 18, 2021. Ukraine has hit a daily record of 734 deaths due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, and hospitalizations increased by more than a fifth compared to the previous week. (Photo: Reuters)
CDC Guideline
According to CDC guidelines, destinations classified as “COVID-19 Very High” Level 4 had more than 500 infections per 100,000 people in the preceding 28 days. Ukraine has experienced a dramatic increase in COVID-19 instances and deaths in recent weeks, hitting a record high of almost 24,000 new cases and 640 deaths in a single day on Friday, as per Johns Hopkins University Data.
The CDC advises people who are ill, people exposed without vaccination, people who have tested positive to COVID-19 and are currently in isolation, and people waiting for the test result not to travel. As of October 25, there are a total of 77 countries worldwide that are on Level 4 Very High-risk rank.
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