UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children's Fund, on June 8, 2021, delivered 117,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from COVID-19 to Ukraine as part of a new supply within the COVAX Facility.
In total, during this and early next week, Ukraine will receive 473,850 doses of the Pfizer vaccine – free of charge under the COVAX Facility, UNICEF said.
"UNICEF is grateful to partners and donors who are helping to make COVID-19 vaccination more accessible in Ukraine. Thanks to the support of colleagues from WHO, the governments of the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank and other donors, more and more people in Ukraine receive protection from such a dangerous infection as COVID-19. We thank the healthcare professionals of Ukraine who are relentlessly fighting to save the lives of their patients, and hope that vaccination will help ease strain on the healthcare system – will protect you and your patients from severe illness, complications, hospitalization, need for oxygen support or death. Please get vaccinated yourself and encourage patients, friends and relatives to do so as soon as they get an opportunity – this is lifesaving," said UNICEF Representative in Ukraine Lotta Sylwander.
According to Jarno Habicht, the WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, together with the full new batch, the overall amount of the vaccines received through COVAX reached 2,137,500 doses (Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca).
"It's good that vaccination in Ukraine is gaining momentum, and vaccines are really life-saving, but vaccination alone is not a guarantee against transferring COVID-19 to others. So please continue to wear masks, keep physically distance and avoid crowds, especially during the upcoming summer holidays," he said.
Earlier, under COVAX, Ukraine received 590,850 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 1,072,800 doses of AstraZeneca.
The COVAX Facility is a result of the unprecedented solidarity of the international community to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries. Deliveries will continue and by the end of 2021, as part of the Facility, Ukraine is expected to receive enough vaccines from various manufacturers to protect up to 20% of the population from COVID-19.
Ukraine receives all vaccines within COVAX free of charge. On behalf of COVAX, procures and supplies only COVID-19 vaccines that meet WHO safety and efficacy criteria.
Read alsoCOVID-19 in Ukraine: Over 1,600 new cases reported as of June 8
Background
- The vaccination campaign in Ukraine was launched on February 24, 2021.
- The government is administering the following vaccines: Covishield vaccine (AstraZeneca), produced under license in India by Serum Institute; CoronaVac, developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech; Pfizer-BioNTech's Comirnaty vaccine; the AstraZeneca-SKBio vaccine produced in South Korea, and the Janssen vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson.
