[ti:Country Doctor in Ukraine Faces Coronavirus Challenges]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.04]From VOA Learning English,
[00:02.44]this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
[00:06.20]A country doctor working in western Ukraine
[00:10.52]uses any form of transportation she can to see her patients.
[00:16.84]Sometimes Viktoria Mahnych rides her bicycle.
[00:21.56]Sometimes she takes her family’s old car.
[00:25.44]Sometimes, she even travels in a horse-pulled cart.
[00:31.72]Doctor Mahnych cares for more than 2,000 patients
[00:36.12]who live in several villages in the Carpathian Mountains.
[00:42.20]Ukraine, a country of 42 million people,
[00:46.20]has recorded more than 1.1 million confirmed COVID-19 infections.
[00:53.84]Almost 20,000 Ukrainians have died of the disease.
[01:00.64]Doctor Mahnych told the Associated Press that she does not know
[01:05.52]how many of her patients have COVID-19.
[01:10.96]And right now, healthcare workers in the country are preparing
[01:15.52]for a sharp increase in the spread of the coronavirus.
[01:21.40]Most Ukrainians are Eastern Orthodox Christians.
[01:27.16]The religious group recently celebrated the Christmas season.
[01:31.72]Many went to restaurants, parties,
[01:35.32]and church services to observe the holidays.
[01:40.12]Many attended such events without wearing face covers, called masks,
[01:46.12]or taking other measures to prevent coronavirus from spreading.
[01:52.80]Doctor Mahnych says she fears that these holiday activities
[01:57.92]will cause a sudden and speedy increase in new coronavirus infections.
[02:06.04]This will make her already difficult job even more so.
[02:12.32]On January 8, Ukraine entered a 17-day-long lockdown
[02:17.20]aimed at stopping new infections.
[02:20.00]The measure closed schools, theaters and other entertainment places.
[02:26.12]Restaurant operations are limited to carry out service.
[02:32.56]However, some regions have refused to obey the government measure.
[02:38.80]The mayors of two towns -- Ternopil and Cherkasy
[02:43.64]-- said their cities will not observe the restrictions.
[02:47.52]Each town has a population of more than 200,000 people.
[02:53.76]Many medical workers say the lockdown came too late, anyway.
[02:59.48]If the lockdown had covered the holidays, Mahnych said,
[03:03.56]“it would have had a positive impact
[03:06.80]on the number of coronavirus infections.”
[03:11.16]Mahnych and hundreds of other Eastern Orthodox Christians
[03:15.76]gathered for the Christmas service at a church in the village of Iltsi.
[03:22.00]They lined up to kiss Christian holy objects, as is tradition.
[03:27.60]Many did not wear masks.
[03:31.04]Mahnych said other churchgoers forced her to take off her mask.
[03:36.52]They said they did not want to think about the pandemic.
[03:41.64]Also, Maynych does not wear full personal protective equipment
[03:47.04]during patient visits because it frightens people.
[03:52.48]She told of one incident where locals threatened her
[03:56.56]because of her protective clothing.
[04:00.80]Mahnych told the AP she is worried
[04:03.72]about the state of the nation’s healthcare system.
[04:08.00]She said it does not get enough financial support
[04:12.04]and has been weakened by reforms.
[04:16.28]She and other doctors are putting their hopes on the vaccination effort.
[04:22.36]Vaccinations are expected to start in March.
[04:27.24]Mahnych says she has been working day and night
[04:31.36]without any time off and rarely sees her family.
[04:37.28]She told reporters, “I don’t have any time or energy left.”
[04:43.48]And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report.
[04:46.24]I’m Anna Matteo. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM