Ex-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hospitalized with Covid-19, diagnosed with serious 'bilateral pneumonia' infection

As Ukraine struggles with a surge in Covid-19 cases, ex-President Petro Poroshenko has been hospitalized with the virus, according to his wife Marina. One of their daughters has also been admitted to hospital for the same reason.

"Despite the fact that my husband has bilateral pneumonia, he has a strong will," Marina Poroshenko wrote on the Facebook page of the former head of state's political party, European Solidarity.

Petro Poroshenko, aged 55, who ran the country from 2014 to 2019, was diagnosed with Covid-19 at the end of September, and his condition has since deteriorated. The 55-year-old ex president has diabetes, and therefore could be more vulnerable to the virus. 

Marina Poroshenko, who is a politician in her own right and is currently running for a place on Kiev's City Council, also complained that hospitals lack the equipment to fight the coronavirus. "Doctors are on the verge of exhaustion, although they are doing everything possible," her statement reads.

Considered by some analysts as Europe's poorest country, Ukraine is especially vulnerable to the effects of a pandemic, given the dire state of its healthcare services. Marina Poroshenko went on to criticize the government, accusing them of spending "on everything but medicine," and "losing control of the pandemic."

Poroshenko is not the first high-profile Ukrainian political figure to be diagnosed with the coronavirus. In late August, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was reported to be in critical condition after contracting the virus, but has since recovered. 

Ukraine is currently experiencing an uptick in Covid-19 cases, which current President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the second coronavirus wave. This week, daily infections have jumped to above 4,000 per day.

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