European Investment Bank (EIB), the world’s largest multilateral lender, will provide Ukraine with 50 million euros to support the country in its efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The money will cover the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and refrigerators for their storage as well as equipping vaccination centers across the country.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed an agreement about the aid with the EIB’s President Werner Hoyer at the bank’s headquarters in Luxembourg on Feb. 12.
The vaccination is yet to start in Ukraine, with authorities promising to distribute the first available doses before the end of February.
Ukraine has been rounding up international aid to fund vaccination. The country lacks budget funds to meet its own goal of vaccinating half of the population or 21 million people. The number includes people in risk groups and essential workers.
Earlier, it was announced that the World Bank would give Ukraine Hr 2.5 billion ($89 million) for vaccine purchase.
Ukraine will also get 8 million doses for free from the global coronavirus vaccine alliance, COVAX. With two doses needed for each person, it will be enough to vaccinate 4 million people.
While many countries across the world have started vaccination back in December, Ukraine has not received a single dose of the vaccine as of mid-February.
In February, Ukraine will receive the first portion of the vaccine coming from COVAX, 117,000 doses.
Also, some 700,000 doses are expected to arrive in February from China, according to the Ministry of Health. This is a Chinese-made vaccine Ukraine purchased from Chinese producer Sinovac Biotech.
The first group of people to get a free vaccine are doctors who treat COVID-19 patients. The first doses of the vaccine will also go to soldiers in the Donbas, social workers and employees and residents of homes for the elderly.
Read more: Everything to know about COVID vaccination in Ukraine (EXPLAINER)
Earlier, Germany allocated 13.1 million euros to modernize 12 hospitals in eastern Ukraine including in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, as Kyiv-controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
This money will cover the purchase of up-to-date medical equipment both basic and that for treating COVID-19 patients.
