Half of Ukraine's population will be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in 2021, says Deputy Health Minister Viktor Liashko.
The Ministry of Health intends to have 20.9 million Ukrainians belonging to various risk groups vaccinated, Liashko told journalists, according to RBC-Ukraine.
These categories include:
- Healthcare workers, including those directly involved in COVID-19 response efforts: 402,200;
- Military participating in the Joint Forces operation: 41,000;
- Social workers: 156,900;
- Persons living care homes and staff of such institutions: 136,500;
- Senior citizens 60 years of age and over: almost 9.8 million;
- Teachers and other education workers: 1.43 million;
- Employees of law enforcement and state security agencies (military, police, National Guard, SBU and State Emergency Service): 570,700;
- Persons held in penitentiary facilities, prison administrations: 65,800;
- Persons from 18 to 59 years of age with comorbidities: 6.37 million; and
- Other professional groups and categories of the population: 1.72 million.
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On November 8, Deputy Minister of Health Viktor Liashko said that the COVAX facility has confirmed plans to provide a free coronavirus vaccine for about 4 million Ukrainian citizens who will be able to get vaccinated in the first half of 2021.
On November 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the first stage of vaccination and named priority categories of citizens to be vaccinated.
