First person sick with Covid-19 in Ternopil region is a UGCC priest

The coronavirus was diagnosed to a cleric of the UGCC from the Ternopil region. Illustrative photo: UNIAN

The first person sick with Covid-19 diagnosed in the Ternopil region turned out to be a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Oleg Vinnitsky. 

Earlier, the Ternopil Regional State Administration reported the diagnosis of coronavirus to a 57-year-old priest from Zaleschiki, specifying that he has a large family but not indicating his confessional affiliation and whether he has recently conducted services.

"The 57-year-old resident of Zalischiki is in isolation, and his condition is assessed by doctors as moderate. The man is receiving symptomatic treatment. Contact persons are identified. They will be advised to isolate themselves. It is previously known that the man is a cleric. And he has a large family," says the statement of the Ternopil RSA.

The edition ZAXID.NET found out that it goes about Oleg Vinnitsky, a priest of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Christ of the UGCC. As he himself said in the commentary to the publication, he is currently in an infectious disease hospital and is awaiting additional confirmation of the diagnosis from Kyiv.

"According to Father Oleg, he does not know how exactly he could have been infected because during the divine services and confessions he is in contact with a large number of people," the source noted.

According to the Coronavirus Telegram channel, as early as this Sunday, the priest who contracted the coronavirus was at the service and it is not known how many parishioners attended it.

In connection with the revealed case of the coronavirus infection in the Ternopil region, it was decided to declare an emergency situation. Residents of Zaleschiki and neighboring areas will be restricted in their mobility, police posts will be established at the exits from the district center, law enforcement officers will conduct temperature screening.

As reported earlier, the UGCC recommended that believers who are afraid of being infected with coronavirus practice "spiritual communion”.

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