Ukraine's COVID-19 daily death toll hit a record on 23 March 2021
A look back at a day when Ukraine reported 333 deaths in 24 hours, as Kyiv entered a lockdown.
How bad had the pandemic become in Ukraine by 23 March 2021? Ukraine reported 333 deaths from COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, a daily high, bringing the nationwide death toll to 30,431.
The figure surpassed the daily high set six days earlier. On 17 March 2021, Ukraine had reported 289 deaths in 24 hours, which brought the nationwide toll to 28,986. Within that six-day span, the cumulative count rose by 1,445.
Kyiv under lockdown
The capital was already under new restrictions as the number of deaths climbed. On 18 March 2021, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a three-week lockdown in the city, starting on 20 March. The measures closed all cultural institutions and many non-essential shopping and entertainment malls, a response to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
By 23 March 2021, the lockdown in Kyiv had been in force for three days, while the national daily death count reached a new high of 333.
