2 . Rationale

1 . Rationale

As the number of confirmed cases and death toll from COVID-19 keep mounting globally, so they do in Ukraine. As of 8 May there were 14,195 confirmed cases in the country, these include 133 confirmed cases in the Eastern Conflict Area (ECA), 91 in Donetsk Oblast and 42 in Luhansk Oblast. Actors including WHO and oblast administrations expect that this is an underrepresentation of the situation. While there are plans to increase laboratory capacities and ramp up testing over the coming months,3 test coverage continues to be relatively low with 151,569 tests completed as of May 7, equivalent to 10.6 tests per confirmed case which places Ukraine at the lower end of testing.4 To date, 361 people are known to have died as a result of the disease.

It has been noted that the population in Ukraine is particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak, due to both an aging population and high rates of chronic illness, such as multidrug resistant tuberculosis, heart disease, diabetes and HIV. 5 Populations in the ECA, who are already vulnerable as a result of the ongoing effects of hostilities in the region, will likely face further challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. Between the GCA and NGCA, the elderly account for almost one third (32%) of people in need – the highest proportion among humanitarian crises worldwide.6 High levels of anxiety among elderly populations concerning COVID-19 have been reported,7 pointing to a potential need to consider healthcare needs beyond those directly linked to the outbreak.

With the number of COVID cases continuing to increase nationally, it is essential to encourage community engagement in infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. Successful curbing of the infection rate will protect the most vulnerable members of society, as well as prevent the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed, in turn saving many lives. The KAPA will seek to fill information gaps around the degree to which populations in the ECA have access to and use information on COVID-19 and the recommended actions for reducing the risk of infection and transmission, their attitudes towards key messaging around COVID-19, the degree to which the household practices recommended actions and access to the essential healthcare services, water and hygiene materials required to observe infection prevention measures at the individual level, and to respond to suspected COVID-19 infection.

Further, there is a clear information gap in understanding the knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to COVID-19 of populations residing in the NGCA, where household data has not been collected since the start of the outbreak. The KAPA will therefore contribute to a vital information gap that will inform humanitarian programming and planning of the Health and WASH clusters and other response actors to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Eastern Ukraine. In parallel, the KAPA will also lightly touch on the community reaction, individual wellbeing and knowledge of, attitudes towards and access to mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of the Assessment will be made available to humanitarian actors and local government to inform the delivery of essential work on community outreach to affected populations.