Ukrainian health minister tests positive for COVID-19

By Talha Yavuz, Davit Kachkachishvili and Meiramgul Kussainova

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - The Ukrainian health minister tested positive for COVID-19 as the eastern European country reported 10,681 new cases and 95 related deaths on Sunday.

Maksym Stepanov, in a statement on social media, said he got infected despite taking precautionary measures, adding that he has quarantined himself and will be working from home for the next few days.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also contracted the novel virus.

The overall virus count in Ukraine has now risen to 535,857, including 9,603 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

Recoveries, on the contrary, increased by 2,633 to reach 241,444.

More than 44,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan also announced new numbers.

- Georgia

Georgia’s COVID-19 case tally surged by 3,020, reaching 79,719.

At least 34 more patients died, moving the count to 703, while recoveries rose by 3,387 to stand at 62,061.

- Kazakhstan

As many as 630 more infections raised Kazakhstan’s caseload to over 120,000.

Seven more patients died, pushing the death toll to 1,938, while 368 more recoveries pushed the total to 109,643.

As many as 8,882 patients, including 463 children, are in hospitals across the Central Asian country.

- Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan reported 124 more infections, taking the total to 70,038.

One more fatality brought the death toll to 597, while recoveries rose by 223 to reach 67,315.

Some 2,126 COVID-19 patients remain under treatment.