How can the current Russian military action affect the efforts to confront Corona in Ukraine?

Does the Russian attack on Ukraine threaten the emergence of a new strain of Corona?

What is the impact of Russian military action on the number of Corona injuries?

We asked these questions to Dr. Hussam Abu Farsakh, a consultant in histological and clinical diagnostics, in Amman, Jordan, who answered them in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net.

  • How can the current Russian military action affect the efforts to confront Corona in Ukraine?

Dr. Hossam Abu Farsakh said that Ukraine is living at the height of the last wave of Omicron, and like the rest of the world, the wave reached its peak in the second week of February, and began to recede two weeks ago.

Likewise, Russia also reached the peak of the last wave at the same time, and began to recede two weeks ago, and this is in harmony with almost all the countries of the world that are witnessing the wave, which began almost at the same time and began to recede at the same time as well.

Dr. Abu Farsakh adds, "The most important thing that concerns us in Ukraine is the number of corona infections, the number of people who need hospitalization, and the number of deaths at this time. A few days ago, the peak of injuries in Ukraine reached about 34,000 - according to Johns Hopkins University" (Johns Hopkins University). University), where the injuries reached 34,477 on the tenth of February, and on February 23, the injuries amounted to 26,819 injuries, and approximately 34% of Ukrainians had received the vaccine, which is a low percentage compared to the rest of Europe; Britain - For example - the vaccination rate reached about 73%.

As for the death rate from corona in Ukraine, on February 23, 311 people were recorded, according to the Johns Hopkins website.

Approximately 1% of those hospitalized with corona die.

The doctor said, "We know that the level of health care in Ukraine is advanced. However, we expect the death rate to increase with the military operation. The first victims of this invasion will be patients who are in hospitals and who receive oxygen, and therefore the number of deaths may increase to 3 times, because most of those Those who need oxygen may be cut off before the global relief reaches them, and this is as a result of the lack of oxygen supply to those in hospitals.”


  • What is the impact of Russian military action on the number of Corona injuries?

Dr. Abu Farsakh said that the number of casualties will also increase with the displacement, because there will be no commitment to social distancing measures, and this will also be accompanied by an increase in the number of people who need hospitalization, but they will not find hospitals in light of the war, which will also lead to an increase in deaths.

  • With war and the accompanying chaos and the inability of people to wear masks, for example, and social distancing measures, do we expect to provide an ideal environment for the emergence of a new surge of the Corona virus?

    Or, in other words, does the Russian attack on Ukraine threaten the emergence of a new strain of Corona?

Dr. Abu Farsakh said that he does not expect the emergence of other mutations that will spread faster than Omicron at the present time.

He added, of course, that there will be other mutants that will appear and this is the nature of Corona, but I do not expect it to prevail among Ukrainians.

  • What is he advised to do to help confront Corona during the war?

Dr. Al-Sattat advised health to stockpile Corona treatments, and concluded by saying, "I advise international organizations, such as the Red Cross, to build field hospitals in places where escalation is low and to provide supplies of oxygen."

Any armed conflict in Ukraine has a negative impact on health systems

On February 18, Richard Seifman wrote in the "impakter" website about the impact of armed conflicts on the spread of infectious diseases, saying that armed conflict has significant differences in terms of its impact on the transmission of infectious diseases, and this often depends on geography and travel restrictions. and health system services and duration.

What is certain, he said, is that whatever the length or nature of any armed conflict in Ukraine, it will have a negative impact on health systems, disrupt monitoring and response systems, and result in an increase in known and preventable infectious diseases, and what's more, with COVID-19. And any future mutants weak infrastructure will not allow access to health care and ordinary emergencies, for both the civilian and military populations.

We know from history that the army on both sides will be affected;

During the Napoleonic Wars, infectious diseases caused 8 times more deaths among British soldiers than injuries sustained in combat.

Infectious diseases were among the leading causes of death for soldiers during the Swedish-Russian War of the late 1880s.

Until World War I, infectious diseases were a major cause of illness and death among soldiers, rather than combat and non-combat injuries.

On February 23, new cases of COVID-19 reached 26,819 in Ukraine (Johns Hopkins University)

Infectious diseases are the third army

In fact, infectious diseases were referred to as the "third army" during any armed conflict.

By World War II, the impact of many infectious diseases as causes of death or illness within the military had shifted from mere fatal threats to primarily curable diseases.

But with the advent of COVID-19, infectious outbreaks have returned as a major cause of morbidity and mortality among both military and civilians.

Obstructing the Ukrainian government's efforts to contain Corona

With both the Russian and Ukrainian population showing increases in COVID-19 infections, a major military incursion is likely to hamper the Ukrainian government's efforts to contain further spread, the report said.

Not only will the health system be less able to provide tests, vaccines and medicines, but there will also be an increased potential for transmission to rise, as people spend more time in underground bunkers in confined spaces, such as the Kiev subway system.

Almost 34% of Ukrainians have received the vaccine against corona (Our World in Data)

As for the Russian military, it may have brought medical teams with it, as there are reports that the Russians have set up hospitals and field facilities along the border with Ukraine.

And on February 4, Sean Walker - in the British newspaper "the guardian" - wrote that Covid-19 appears as another factor that may complicate the plans of the Russian and Ukrainian armies.

The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, General Oleksandr Sirsky, told the Guardian that out of about 150,000 soldiers in his ranks, 2,400 soldiers have contracted COVID-19.

He said that testing was only conducted before special events or if symptoms were present, which suggests that the true number may be much higher.

Ukrainian military bases have been closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of the disease.

The Russian attack on Ukraine continues

Fighting continues in all regions of Ukraine after Russia launched a comprehensive military operation against its neighbor at dawn today, Thursday, while Kiev announced the use of the Russian army with ballistic missiles, amid news of NATO mobilizing its military forces in Eastern European countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the Russian forces are trying to control the northern city of Chernobyl, considering that this is a declaration of war on the entire European continent.

Ukrainian media also confirmed Russia's destruction of a nuclear waste storage facility in the Chernobyl region.

Reuters quoted an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency as saying that Russian forces had taken control of the Chernobyl energy facility.

And the adviser to the office of the Ukrainian President, Mikhailo Podolyak, revealed that the Russian forces' control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant could lead to a major environmental disaster.

"It is impossible to say that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a completely useless attack by the Russians," he added.

"This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today," he added.


all-out war

The Interfax news agency quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that it had achieved all its targets set for Thursday and that its forces had destroyed 83 targets on the ground in Ukraine.

The adviser to the Ukrainian President's office stated that battles were taking place only 5 kilometers from the vicinity of the city of Kharkiv (eastern Ukraine), and the army announced that it had destroyed 4 Russian tanks in the Kharkiv axis.

Pictures showed tanks of the Ukrainian army on the way to Kharkiv, as part of reinforcements sent to that region.

Activists broadcast pictures showing a multi-storey building, after it was subjected to a Russian bombardment near the city of Kharkiv, without mentioning information about casualties.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed that the Russian army uses ballistic missiles.