REUTERS
An agreement has now been reached on 8 million doses.
Ukraine's Health Ministry is working on a plan to increase the vaccine quota as part of COVAX, the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, from 8 million to 16 million doses.
"We have already reached a full agreement with the global COVAX initiative. I have signed all technical papers... An agreement has now been reached on 8 million doses of vaccine, which we are set to start receiving next year, in late first quarter - early second quarter. They will go in tranches. The first tranche we expect is 1.2 million doses," Health Minister Maksym Stepanov told a Thursday briefing, an UNIAN correspondent reports.
According to Stepanov, the ministry is also working on an initiative to increase the quota from 8 million to 16 million doses.
Vaccination against COVID-19 in Ukraine
On November 18, the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) confirmed the reports on plans to provide Ukraine with a free vaccine against the coronavirus disease. In particular, about 4 million Ukrainian nationals will be able to get vaccinated in the first half of 2021. Later it became known that proper vaccination includes two shots at a price of US$7 each.
On December 4, the Verkhovna Rada allowed a fast-track procedure for the approval of clinical trials and state certification of vaccines or other immunobiological medications to be used to tackle the coronavirus.
On December 6, Chairman of the Commission on Biosafety and Biological Protection under the Council of National Security and Defense, Academician Serhiy Komisarenko said mass vaccination could be launched in Ukraine no earlier than the middle of 2021.
On December 12, Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister, Chief Medical Officer Viktor Liashko said COVAX had officially approved over 8 million doses of a free COVID-19 vaccine for Ukraine.
On December 17, Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said Ukraine expects to get the first doses of vaccines approved by COVAX in March 2021.
On December 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted the bill passed by Parliament December 4.