Mediaboss Marketing

INTRODUCTION

Entering its 7th year, the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine is still active with 3.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The COVID-19 pandemic has further compounded the ongoing crisis; as of December 8th the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 had surpassed 800,000 in the country. Actors including the World Health Organization (WHO) and oblast administrations expect that this is an underrepresentation of the situation, with levels of testing roughly equivalent to one confirmed case for every 14 tests completed, substantially higher than the WHO-recommended 5% positive samples. The population in Ukraine is particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak, due to both an ageing population and high rates of chronic illness such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, heart disease, diabetes5 . Between the Government and Non-Government Controlled Areas (GCA and NGCA) of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, elderly individuals account for almost one third (32%) of people in need the highest proportion among humanitarian crises worldwide.

With the fastest-growing domestic number of COVID-19 cases during the month of November, community engagement in infection prevention and control (IPC) practices is essential to stemming the spread of the virus. To inform humanitarian partners responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Assessment (KAPA) was launched to evaluate the degree to which populations have access to and use information on COVID-19 and the recommended actions for reducing the risk of infection and transmission. It also seeks to understand household attitudes towards COVID-19 messaging, uptake of recommended preventative practices, as well as access to essential healthcare services and water and hygiene materials required to observe IPC measures. This third round focused on GCA residents, and data collection and analysis were completed in partnership with the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between 16 October and 1 November 2020. A total of 1.601 household surveys were completed via Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) using stratified simple random sampling of non-comprehensive resident lists. Findings are therefore representative with a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error, but may not be generalisable to all households in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in GCA. Settlements for the randomly selected respondents can be seen on the assessment coverage map on page 2. Findings presented in this factsheet may not include answers such as "Don't know" or "Decline to answer" and total percentages may therefore not sum to 100%. The full activity terms of reference can be accessed at this link.

Throughout this factsheet, findings for round 1 (July-August 2020) are displayed for comparison purposes (advisory only). Round 2 of the KAPA (September-October 2020) was conducted in NGCA and can be accessed on the REACH Resource Centre or following the clickable link.

KEY FINDINGS

TRENDS IN COVID-19 KNOWLEDGE

The perception of epidemiological trends in COVID-19 in Ukraine has changed considerably, with the majority of respondents in GCA now believing that COVID-19 is increasing in Ukraine (76% compared to 36% in round 1).

The proportion of respondents who suspect someone they know to have contracted COVID-19 is also on the rise (from 3% to 19%). This may be in line with the slight increase in the proportion of respondents who believe that COVID-19 is a contagious disease (from 79% to 84%).

Reported knowledge on other COVID-19 transmission dynamics remained similar across rounds, with the only exception being a shift towards shorter reported time periods (2-10 days) before an infected individual would begin showing symptoms.

TRENDS IN COVID-19 ATTITUDES

Despite the acknowledgement of increasing COVID-19 cases nationwide, the degree to which COVID-19 is perceived as an important issue has significantly reduced. From 46% of respondends who considered it to be either "very" or "extremely important" in July-August 2020, only 7% still think so. Instead, almost half (48%) of respondents now consider COVID-19 to be "not important at all".Similarly, there is a noticeable shift from a "more" fearful perception of COVID-19 in round 1 towards a "less" fearful one in round 3.

However, respondents have also increasingly reported greater levels of likelihood of developing the disease as compared with round 1. Particularly, the proportion of respondents who believe it is "very" or "extremely likely" to contract COVID-19 has nearly doubled from 12% to 23%.

CHANGES IN PRACTICES

A net downtrend can be observed for all reportedly adopted preventative measures against COVID-19, with in particular handwashing and avoiding crowded areas with the largest drop in values. This suggests that, on average, respondents were reporting fewer of these measures.

The mandatory wearing of masks in public is the sole public health measure implemented by the Government of Ukraine which achieves growing support, from 53% to 67% of respondents. All other measures did not experience any change in the reported level of support / opposition they had previously received.

Also, an overall decrease in the level of confidence granted to formal sources of information (local and national authorities, healthcare workers) can be noted between the two rounds.

Other notable trends include a general decrease in the proportion of respondents who have reportedly seen or heard public health advertisements between the two rounds, which could coincide with the slight rise in the share of respondents who have never sought out information on COVID-19 in the two weeks prior to the assessment (from 43% to 49%). Generally speaking, respondents have reported to be seeking out information less regularly than during round 1.

Eventually, a net decline in the proportion of respondents who can recall measures implemented by the Government can be observed, with the main change for quarantine (from 54% to 20%).

Read the original post:
Ukraine: COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Assessment - Non-Government Controlled Areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, Round 3: November 2020 -...

Thankyou Mr Chair. We share the concerns expressed today by the EU and other international partners on Russias continued violation of OSCE principles and commitments in illegally annexed Crimea and in eastern Ukraine. Following the anniversary yesterday of the Normandy Four leaders Summit held in Paris, my statement will focus on two key commitments made at the summit: prisoner exchanges and the opening of new Entry Exit Checkpoints.

However, I would like to start by thanking the Albanian chairpersonship for rightly keeping a high focus on the conflict instigated and fuelled by Russia at this years Ministerial Council. The UK welcomed the opportunity to join international partners for a discussion, hosted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba, on Russias illegal annexation of Crimea. We were also proud to join 34 other co-sponsors in putting forward a draft decision on strengthening OSCE monitoring at the uncontrolled segment of the Ukraine-Russia border; we regret that Russia refused to engage constructively on the text.

The UK continues to welcome the significant reduction of violence since the strengthened ceasefire came into effect on the 27 July, which was a key commitment of the Paris Summit. However, we were concerned to see that the SMMs weekly report of 8th December registered a two-fold increase in the weekly total of ceasefire violations, compared with the previous week, and more than a three-fold increase in the number of explosions. We were also saddened to read in the SMMs recent reporting, for the first time since the 27 July, of two civilians who have sustained injuries due to shelling, as well as of the first damage to civilian property recorded by the Mission. We must not be complacent.

Less progress has been made on other key commitments. As the holiday season approaches, we cannot forget those who remain in detention, separated from their families. At the Paris Summit, all sides agreed to promote the release and exchange of detained persons associated with the conflict. The prisoner exchanges in December 2019 and in April of this year clearly demonstrated what is possible when there is political will; however, there have been no further exchanges since and progress appears stalled. We remind Russia of its commitment and urgently call on it to match the political will Ukraine has shown on this issue.

We would also like to highlight the urgent need to make progress on another key Paris Summit commitment to open new Entry Exit Checkpoints. EECPs are essential for Ukrainian civilians to access jobs, education, pensions, medical care and to see their families. It is entirely unacceptable that a month after the agreed opening date, the Russia-backed armed formations are blocking the opening of the two new checkpoints at Shchastia and Zolote. We call again on Russia to use its influence to ensure that there is a simultaneous and coordinated opening without any further delay.

We are also deeply concerned by reporting of international organisations that the majority of entry-exit checkpoints remain closed on the non-government controlled side under the pretext of COVID-19 measures. As a result, the number of people crossing the line of contact continues to fall, with only around 21,000 crossings recorded by the UNHCR in October, compared to over 1.4m crossing during the same period last year. While reasonable precautions should be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the pandemic should not be used as a pretext for unnecessary limitations on freedom of movement.

The UK reiterates our support for the Minsk agreements and our firm commitment to see the peaceful resolution of the conflict in full respect of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome the work of the Normandy Four and the Trilateral Contact Group in this regard, and we thank Ambassador Grau and her team for their efforts to make progress on the issues I have addressed today.We call on Russia to engage productively,and match the political will demonstrated by Ukraine,so that real progress can be made.

We repeat our call on Russia to withdraw its military personnel and weapons from the territory of Ukraine; to cease its support for the armed formations it backs; to stop access restrictions and intimidation of the SMM in areas held by Russia-backed armed formations and to reverse all unilateral measures that undermine the Minsk agreements.

The UK strongly supports Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, including its territorial waters. We do not and will not recognise Russiasillegal annexation of Crimea.The UK has consistently stood with Ukraine in opposing all instances of Russian aggression towards Ukraine and we will continue to do so, including through sanctionswith ourinternational partners.

See the original post:
Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine and illegal annexation of Crimea: UK statement - GOV.UK

The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) has had its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) officially registered in a case against European football's governing body UEFA, and the Swiss Football Association.

This appeal is against the decision taken by the UEFA Appeals Body on November 25, which declared a 2020-2021 UEFA Nations League match between Ukraine and Switzerland to be forfeited, handing the hosts Switzerland a 3-0 win.

Switzerland were set to host the match in Lucerne on November 17, but UEFA made its decision, placing the responsibility for the match not going ahead on the UAF.

This was in accordance with special rules applicable to the league phase of the 2020-2021 UEFA Nations League during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the day of the match, the health authorities in Lucerne decided to place the entire UAF delegation into mandatory quarantine, with the match not being able to take place as originally scheduled.

In its appeal to CAS, the UAF requests that the challenged decision be set aside and that the match in question be rescheduled.

It has also been suggested that the decision to forfeit the match be cancelled and the match is decided by the drawing of lots by UEFA Administration.

A panel of arbitrators for the case are set to be appointed over the next few days.

Both parties are currently exchanging written submissions for the CAS case.

The forfeited 3-0 defeat for Ukraine dropped the nation down to the bottom of the table in Group 4 of League A, condemning the nation to relegation for the next Nations League competition.

A draw between the sides would have kept Ukraine in third, relegating Switzerland.

Nations in the top division of the UEFA Nations League will have a better chance of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Teams that do not finish in the top two of their World Cup European qualifying group will have the opportunity to qualify through a knockout system.

Two teams who finish third or below in their qualifying group, along with the 10 group runners-up will play a semi-final and final to determine the three other qualifiers from Europe, with the 12 teams being split up into groups of four to play the knockout rounds, leaving only one nation standing from each group.

Continue reading here:
Ukraine appeal to CAS over football match forfeiture controversy with UEFA - Insidethegames.biz

The coronavirus continues to march across the planet, and the world is preparing for vaccinations against Covid-19. In Ukraine, the possibility of vaccination is also being discussed, even at the legislative level. The parliament has registered bill No. 4142, in which MPs propose to make vaccinations against 10 diseases mandatory: diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis, tetanus, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis B, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal and hemophilic infections.

This bill does not mention the coronavirus at all. However, it is quite obvious that when vaccination against it becomes possible, the MPs will simply continue this list with one more nomination. Of course, on condition that the document passes the crucible of the Verkhovna Rada. Now the consideration of this bill has been postponed indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the issue of vaccination in Ukraine is causing insane discussions. Without a doubt, they will become even hotter if the MPs still vote for the mandatory vaccination norm. Recently, even the World Health Organization opposed compulsory vaccination. However, it was stressed that governments must work to increase the level of confidence in it. WHO Director of Emergencies for Health Michael Ryan noted that people have to make their own decisions about whether they need to get vaccinated. By the way, the current legislation also speaks about it.

Therefore, 112.ua dealt with the "pros" and "cons" of vaccination as such and as compulsory in particular.

So, the first argument "in favor" is that the population immunity consists of the individual immunity of a person who has been vaccinated. Simply put: the more people are vaccinated, the fewer cases of severe illness or death in society will happen.

Let's look at this using smallpox as an example. This is one of the oldest and most common diseases on the planet, from which 1.5 million people die every year. This continued until the end of the 18th century, when the English physician Edward Jenner invented the vaccine. However, it took almost two more centuries for smallpox to be overcome by vaccination.

There is no historical record of whether smallpox vaccination was voluntary or mandatory. In the Soviet Union, babies were vaccinated against smallpox while still in the hospital, without asking their parents' opinion. As a result, in 1980, the WHO announced that there was no more smallpox on Earth. The virus, according to doctors, has been completely eradicated. This was the consequence of the total vaccination.

Subsequently, WHO made the refusal of vaccination one of the greatest threats to humanity. Immunization, according to the organization, prevents 2-3 million deaths worldwide every year, and another 1.5 million people can be saved if vaccination coverage increases.

Another example is related to measles. In 2018, only 31% of children in Samoa (a state in Polynesia) received measles vaccine. And already in 2019, a powerful outbreak of this disease swept across the country. Similar examples can be cited when talking about the refusal of vaccination and about other diseases. Another effect of total vaccination lies in the economic plane. In particular, this issue is relevant now, when many countries around the world are introducing lockdown due to the coronavirus epidemic. There will be no epidemic - there will be no quarantine, and there will be no quarantine - there will be no losses for the business and the budget as a whole. The Kyiv School of Economics says that at the end of 2020, "generous" in lockdowns, Ukraine will miss 5.4% of its GDP, and the "weighted average fall" of world economies is estimated at 7.8% of GDP. And this is in addition to rising unemployment and a worsening social climate: an increase in the level of domestic violence, for example, associated with sitting in isolation.

Scientists are convinced that the coronavirus can be dealt with through vaccination. That is why now the issue of creating an effective vaccine and its delivery are perhaps the most important on the agenda.

The main counter-argument against vaccination remains the certain risk that this procedure carries. Vaccination can be a trigger for the development of concomitant diseases.

In 2008, 17-year-old Anton T. from Kramatorsk died after being vaccinated against measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). Another hundred high school students in the Donetsk region were hospitalized, after which the campaign was suspended, and they tried to investigate the case, but it never came to court.

Multiply this tragedy by the likely compulsory vaccination against the coronavirus and we get a public explosion, which is also, in fact, an argument against vaccination.

One more "argument against". There is a thesis about vaccine overload: they say, several vaccines applied at the same time can weaken the immature immune system of a child and lead to adverse consequences. By the way, this is also stated in the conclusions of the scientific and expert department of the Verkhovna Rada, which analyzed the bill No. 4142.

The experts noted the following: "In a significant part of the countries of the European Community, compulsory vaccination has been introduced only against one or several infections. A significant difference between the legislative regulation of vaccination in Ukraine and European countries is that in most of these countries, vaccination is not compulsory, and national vaccination schedules are of a recommendation nature."

In other words, person doesnt need to do many vaccinations at once and you dont need to make it a responsibility of parents.

In addition - and this is another counterargument - not every child can be vaccinated against everything. "Since, due to the peculiarities of the state of health, in particular the weakening of the immune system, certain vaccinations can be dangerous to the health or life," the scientific and expert department notes.

Moreover, if the vaccine against measles or diphtheria is already a familiar drug for many, "anti-coronavirus" inventions can cause additional psychological rejection, and even more so if their use becomes compulsory.

Argument number four. A poor-quality or falsified vaccine can get into Ukraine - as it was already in the Donetsk region in 2008. Former deputy head of the State Inspectorate for Drug Quality Control Konstantin Kosyachenko warns of such a possibility just now. A vaccine, however, is more difficult to counterfeit than any other drug, because it has certain storage requirements, but a counterfeit cannot be completely ruled out.

Fifth "against": in Ukraine there is no mechanism of compensation for victims of vaccination. The very existence of such a mechanism is a guarantee that the vaccination campaign will go smoothly - even if it never has to be used.

A system of compensation for vaccinated persons who have suffered harm to their health is provided in a number of countries. For example, in Israel in 1989, a separate "Vaccine Injured People Law" was passed. According to it, the state of Israel insures all people who have been vaccinated, and people who have come into contact with them, against harm that may be caused to them as a result of vaccination.

Sixth argument. It lies more in the realm of biology than ineffective public administration. Opponents of the coronavirus vaccine ask a logical question: why get vaccinated if the virus mutates anyway? The flu virus also mutates, making vaccines less effective against it.

This is indeed the case, and a recent study from University College London identified 198 repetitive mutations in the coronavirus. One of the study's authors, Professor Franois Balloux, said: "Mutations in themselves are not a bad thing, and there is nothing to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 mutates faster or slower than expected."

"So far, we cannot say whether SARS-CoV-2 is becoming more or less fatal and infectious," the scientist added. But how does this correlate with the invention of the vaccine? Dr. Balloux 's colleague Lucy van Dorpe, one of the co-authors of the cited study, explains it this way: Many vaccines that are now being developed target the characteristic spikes of this virus. The idea is that the body's ability to recognize this unique "spike" will help it fight the entire virus. But if this spike changes, the vaccine thus developed may become less effective. "

Finally, there is a seventh argument already related to the field of law. No one can be subjected to forced medical manipulation, Ukrainian laws say.

So, in particular, for persons under the age of fifteen, and those who are recognized as legally incompetent in the manner prescribed by law, preventive vaccinations are carried out only with the consent of their objectively informed parents or other legal representatives.

If the person and (or) his legal representatives refuse compulsory prophylactic vaccinations, the doctor has the right to take from them the corresponding written confirmation, and in case of refusal - to certify this by an act in the presence of witnesses. This is part 6 of Art. 12 of the Law "On Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases". In addition, in accordance with Part 4 of Art. 284 of the Civil Code, an adult capable natural person who understands the significance of his actions and can control them, have the right to refuse treatment.

And, finally, Articles 42 and 43 of the Law "Fundamentals of Ukrainian Legislation on Health Care" state that medical intervention is allowed only if it cannot harm the patient's health.

And since no one gives a 100% guarantee of vaccination safety, the compulsory vaccination is against both the campaign itself and against the authors of bill No. 4142 mentioned at the beginning. Its findings also contain a reminder that the general level of mistrust in domestic medicine is higher than in European countries, and reaches 63%. "Therefore, increasing the level of vaccination of the population requires comprehensive measures to increase confidence in the health care system of Ukraine," the experts are convinced.

Thus, the arguments against vaccination (even more so - mandatory vaccination) are quite weighty. However, as are the arguments in favor. Obviously, there will soon be changes in the legislation and in the supply of vaccines against coronavirus, and then the vaccine-related discussions will enter a new circle.

View post:
Issue of vaccination in Ukraine is causing discussions - Does Ukraine need compulsory vaccination against COVID-19? - 112 International

ANKARA

Ukraine intends to increase its trade volume with Turkey, the country's deputy economy minister said Friday.

Noting that the countries already had a trading volume of $5 billion, Taras Kachka, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economy, told Anadolu Agency that the aim is to create a balanced growth environment for both countries.

"We're so close to completing a free trade agreement. We're almost in the position to see light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Kachka noted that the two countries still had reservations in some areas such as agriculture and steel products, investments, service sector, but stressed that talks were ongoing.

He stated that Turkey is among Ukraine's top five trading partners, pointing out that the development of commercial and economic dynamics strengthened ties as well.

Kachka predicted that the balance in trade volume could tip in favor of Turkey for the first time.

"The reason behind this is that Turkey is one of the most important exporters of diesel fuel to Ukraine, which is a source of diversification for us, because we're dependent on Russia and Belarus on diesel fuel."

Cooperation between the countries in the high-tech and defense sectors is also promising and this is a sign of long-term systematic cooperation, he added.

Kachka also underlined that Ukraine is interested in Turkey's experience in public health and transportation.

* Writing by Yunus Girgin in Ankara

Here is the original post:
Official: Ukraine wants to expand trade with Turkey - Anadolu Agency