Health minister gets vaccinated against COVID-19

Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has had his COVID-19 vaccine shot.

The minister got vaccinated in public at Kyiv's Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital in the presence of journalists, an UNIAN correspondent reported.

Several TV channels were broadcasting the vaccination process live.

Prior to the vaccination, the minister held a press briefing.

Read alsoOnline registration for COVID-19 vaccination kicks off on March 1When asked how he feels after the shot, Stepanov said: "Perhaps better than before the vaccination."

The minister also thanked the medical staff for their job done.

"If you do not get vaccinated, you are playing a game. If, God forbid, you contract the virus, you do not know what the course of the disease could be. And if you are vaccinated, you will definitely either not get sick at all, or your case will be mild," he said.

Stepanov said he had proved by his own example that the vaccine that Ukrainians were being vaccinated with was "absolutely safe and effective."

The minister reiterated he was feeling well after the vaccination.

"A small percentage always have some reactions – this is understandable, but when you evaluate this reaction and the benefits of the vaccination, it is clear – it is even impossible to compare," Stepanov added.

Vaccination in Ukraine

• On February 22, the Ukrainian Health Ministry registered the Oxford/AstraZeneca (Covishield) COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
• The vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and authorized by the UK, the European Union, and India.
• On February 23, the first batch of the Covishield vaccine arrived in Ukraine.
• On February 24, Ukraine launched a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign. About 160 healthcare workers were first who got vaccinated.