COVID-19 poses threat to senior residents of occupied Donbass - ICRC

The most sensitive category in connection with the threat of spread of coronavirus in Ukraine is elderly residents of the occupied territory of Donbass. This was stated by head of the representative office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine Florence Gillette, – Hromadske reports.

"Indeed, the majority of people who live near the demarcation line and cross it – in particular, in Stanytsia Luhanska – are people of such age categories (aged 60 and above – ed.). We know that many of those who cross the demarcation line are pensioners, and most pensioners fall into this category", – Gillette noted.

She also added that residents of the occupied territories of Donbass had been in the conflict zone for a long time – this negatively affected their state of health and this factor should also be taken into account when it comes to a possible outbreak of coronavirus in Ukraine: "They (people from the occupied territories – ed. ) also suffered from five to six years of the negative impact of hostilities on the health care system, which also made their health worse".