Ukraine is set to receive 8 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine under the global COVAX program, and it can expect them to arrive in spring 2021, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during a briefing on Dec. 5.
According to Stepanov, on Dec. 4, he signed an important document with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) as part of the COVAX program, which aims to produce and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine equitably around the globe.
The exact date when Ukraine will receive the vaccine has not yet been confirmed. However, Stepanov said Ukraine can expect the vaccine at the end of the “first quarter or the beginning of the second one” — between March and May.
Additionally, the Health Ministry is now at the final stage of signing contracts with other vaccine manufacturers, according to Stepanov.
The ministry also has a plan for whom to vaccinate first. According to Stepanov, Ukraine’s health care workers and individuals at high risk of more severe disease and complications from COVID-19 — people over 80, those with diabetes or heart disease — should be among the first to be vaccinated.
However, the 8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that Ukraine will receive under the COVAX program will cover only 10% of the population, since each patient requires two doses, according to Arsen Zhumadilov, director of Medical Procurement of Ukraine.
The World Health Organization says that at least 65% of the population should be vaccinated for a society to develop collective immunity. As a result, Ukraine will have to buy 22 million double doses on its own.
But the country will likely have trouble getting COVID-19 vaccines due to how its budget is allocated. The biggest monetary shortage will hit the Medical Guarantee Program, a critical part of the country’s health care spending. It provides free access to a packet of drugs and medical services, including primary and emergency care.
Read more: Critical medical shortages expected in 2021
By law, this program must receive at least 5% of the national budget, usually around $50 billion. The National Health Service of Ukraine’s public council estimated that the program needs Hr 225 billion, or $8 billion, in 2021.
Under Ukraine’s current draft budget, the program has only 2.7% of the national budget, or roughly $4.3 billion.
If this does not change before parliament approves the budget in the second reading, there will be critical shortages of drugs and health care services, including COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, according to the public council.
