Pfizer to apply for vaccine registration in Ukraine soon – health ministry

Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister, Chief Medical Officer Viktor Liashko has said the U.S.-based Pfizer company will soon submit documents for the registration of a vaccine against COVID-19 in Ukraine.

The Health Ministry on February 4 had a phone call with the Pfizer headquarters, he said.

"We've received assurances that all documents for the registration of the Pfizer vaccine in Ukraine will be submitted in the near future. The vaccine will be used in Ukraine when it is properly registered," Liashko said during an online briefing on Friday, an UNIAN correspondent reported.

"The COVID-19 vaccination campaign will start in Ukraine in February. It will be voluntary and free [for the at-risk groups]. In February, Ukraine will receive the first tranche of the vaccine under the COVAX Facility, which is 117,000 doses of an mRNA vaccine from the U.S. producer Pfizer. This vaccine will be immediately distributed for the vaccination of healthcare workers, as well as employees of healthcare institutions working with coronavirus patients," he said.

Liashko reiterated a law allowing the fast-track registration of a COVID-19 vaccine was passed by lawmakers and enacted by the president.

UNIAN memo

COVAX is a global initiative created by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to accelerate the development, production, and equal access to tests, treatment and vaccines against COVID-19.

Read alsoSeveral EU countries agree to sell surplus COVID-19 vaccines to Ukraine – Deputy PMUkraine joined the COVAX initiative under the GAVI Advance Market Commitment for COVID-19 Vaccines. The first part of the application to GAVI was submitted on December 7, 2020, and was verified on December 11. Thanks to this, Ukraine will be able to receive at least 8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for 4 million Ukrainians.

COVID-19 vaccine for Ukraine

• On January 30, 2021, Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister, Chief Medical Officer Viktor Liashko said Ukraine would receive 117,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine within the COVAX (the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility) in February.
• From the middle of February to the end of June 2021, Ukraine will obtain 2.2 million to 3.7 million doses of an AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine.
• First to get vaccinated will be healthcare workers, the elderly, and seriously ill patients.
• In December 2020, the Health Ministry's coronavirus task force approved a COVID-19 immunization plan under which at least 50% of Ukrainians (20 million people) are to be vaccinated during 2021-2022.
• On January 29, the National Commission for technology-related and environmental safety and emergencies approved a schedule for vaccination against the coronavirus in Ukraine in 2021.