The global coronavirus vaccine alliance, COVAX, has officially approved Ukraine’s request for COVID-19 vaccines, chief sanitary doctor Viktor Liashko said on Dec. 11.
Ukraine will receive 8 million doses for free to fight the coronavirus, which has already killed nearly 15,000 and infected 900,000 Ukrainians over the past nine months.
This will be enough for 4 million people to get vaccinated — the leading coronavirus vaccines require two doses to achieve over 90% efficacy.
Doctors, teachers, military servants and patients with chronic illnesses — like people with heart problems — will get vaccinated first.
“No vaccine in the world has been developed as rapidly as the COVID-19 vaccine,” Liashko wrote on Facebook. “This gives hope for further scientific inventions to prevent infectious diseases.”
The COVAX has also recommended Ukraine to start preparing places necessary for the storage and shipping of vaccines, director of the Center for Public Health Igor Kuzin said on Dec. 11 during the “Freedom of Speech of Savik Shuster” television talk show.
Ukraine’s vaccination campaign against the coronavirus may start in March when COVAX sends the first tranche of 1.2 million doses meant primarily for groups most at risk, according to Mykhailo Radutsky, head of the parliamentary health care committee.
Apart from free vaccines, Ukraine will be buying vaccines from private companies. For that, the Cabinet of Ministers plans to allocate $95 million from the state budget next year. It is estimated that one dose will cost about $7.
Although it’s still not clear from which biotechnology company Ukraine will be buying these vaccines, chances are high that it will be either U.S. Moderna or German Pfizer and BioNTec.
Nevertheless, in order for 34 million Ukrainians to achieve population immunity against the coronavirus, Ukraine will still have to provide another 20 million citizens with a COVID-19 vaccine, which will require additional funds, according to Olga Stefanyshyna, lawmaker with the Voice party and health care expert.
At the same time, a recent survey conducted by polster Rating showed that 40% of Ukrainians are unwilling to take any COVID-19 vaccine even if it is free. And almost 60% won’t take a shot if it’s paid, the survey reads.
