The next delivery of the Pfizer vaccine may take place after May 17, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said.
“We expect to receive Pfizer vaccines under the COVAX initiative and direct contract in the near future, tentatively from May 17,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
According to the minister, the Ministry of Health is technically ready to maximize the daily vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, but this requires “more vaccines.”
“You know that now vaccines have been shipped that are in debt to us under the already signed contracts. In the last ten days alone, 1 million doses have arrived. Now the supply volumes of vaccines should increase,” he said.
Stepanov also said that in the near future Ukraine expects to receive vaccines from Sinovac and AstraZeneca.
“As soon as the supply of vaccines increases, we will immediately increase the number of people who will be vaccinated. We can vaccinate 5-6 million people a month in a quiet mode. The main thing is that there are vaccines and those who want to be vaccinated,” Stepanov said.
He also noted that the Ministry of Health has “healthy optimism” regarding the prevention of a new outbreak of COVID-19 as a result of the Easter holidays.
“I am grateful to the Ukrainians for listening to the recommendations and that there were no mass visits to churches during the Easter holidays. The number of people who attended churches, according to the National Police, was 8 times less than it was before the epidemic – 793,000 people versus 7 million,” he said.
In connection with the escalation of the Israel-Palestine confrontation, which is accompanied by rocket and mortar shelling of settlements and riots in many cities of Israel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly recommends that Ukrainian citizens refrain from traveling to Israel and Palestine.
“Those citizens who are on the territory of Israel and Palestine should observe the rules of personal safety, carefully monitor messages and explanations of local competent authorities and their representatives, and strictly follow their instructions,” the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
It is noted that in case of an emergency or other circumstances that require an immediate consular response, one must contact the Ukrainian Embassy in the State of Israel (emergency phone number: 972 546 676 782, e-mail: emb_il@mfa.gov.ua), the diplomatic institution of Ukraine in Palestine (emergency phone number: 972 59 969 95 61, e-mail: pm_ps@mfa.gov.ua) or the round-the-clock hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine by phone: 38 044 238 16 57, email: cons_or@mfa.gov.ua.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that the decision of the Israeli government to ban foreigners from entering the country from Ukraine’s territory, including citizens of Ukraine in the context of the current epidemiological situation, remains in force.
Due to the suspension of international flights by the Nepalese government until May 31, 2021, some 107 Ukrainian citizens had to stay in Nepal, mainly climbers and tourists, MFA Spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said. “Some 45 people were accommodated in hotels in Kathmandu, they are provided with everything they need. The rest of the citizens are in the mountainous area. Four Ukrainians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, they are being provided with the necessary assistance. Their health condition is satisfactory,” Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
According to him, the Ukrainian Embassy in India maintains contact with compatriots directly or through representatives of travel companies who organized the relevant tours.
Nikolenko said that, in addition to the general group in the social network, a round-the-clock “hot line” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine operates to process requests from citizens stuck in Nepal or their relatives: 044 238 1657, 044 238 1588. An honorary consul of Ukraine also works in Kathmandu to provide prompt consular assistance to Ukrainians.
“Diplomats are working to resolve the issue of the early return of Ukrainian citizens to their homeland. At the same time, they must understand that strict quarantine restrictions are in force in Nepal,” the speaker said.
Nikolenko said that now the possibility of Ukrainians leaving on repatriation flights of foreign countries is being considered.
“According to available information, Turkish Airlines submitted a request for permission from the Nepalese side to carry out charter flights to Nepal. We keep this case under control,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson drew attention to the fact that a lot of inaccurate information is being circulated around the situation with our citizens in Nepal.
“I want to reassure everyone – we will not leave our people alone. The Ukrainian side also appealed to the Indian government with a request to allow the transit of our citizens through the territory of India,” he said.
In January-March 2021, Vodafone Ukraine (PrJSC VF Ukraine) reached an income of UAH 4.728 billion, which is 8% more than in the same period in 2020, the company said in its press release on Wednesday.
According to it, the company’s net profit for the first quarter amounted to UAH 888 million versus a loss of UAH 744 million in January-March 2020, which was associated with the exchange rate difference on the revaluation of $500 million eurobonds issued by Vodafone Ukraine in February 2020.
The operator’s OIBDA (Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization) increased by 9% compared to the first quarter of 2020 and reached UAH 2.558 billion. At the same time, the OIBDA margin increased by 0.8 percentage points (p.p.), to 51.1%.
“The main growth factor was the increase in consumption of data services. The number of date users in the Vodafone network at the end of March 2021 reached 12.4 million, or 66% of data users in the database,” the operator said.
At the end of the first quarter of 2021, some 81% of Ukrainians could use 4G in the Vodafone Ukraine network, the operator said in the press release.
According to the results of this reporting period, the company’s subscriber base amounted to 18.8 million, which is 3.6% less than in January-March 2021, while growth in the segment of contract connections continues, including an increase in the number of IoT users.
“A slight decrease in the subscriber base is due to the general tendency to refuse from second SIM-cards, which is caused by a decrease in the population’s income,” the operator said.
At the same time, ARPU increased by 16% to UAH 79.8.
The Cabinet of Ministers at a meeting on Wednesday voted in favor of a resolution on the establishment of the Bureau of Economic Security. According to the draft resolution, the new body is created as a body of central executive authority.
As the correspondent of Interfax-Ukraine reports, the government adopted the relevant document with a one-day revision.
“This is one of the final steps towards liquidation of the tax police,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on March 22 signed law on the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine No. 1150-IX, which the Verkhovna Rada adopted on January 28, 2021. According to the government’s priority action plan, the Bureau should start working in September 2021.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in May improved the forecast for the export of Ukrainian sunflowerseed oil in 2021/2022 (September-August) by 18.9% compared to 2020/21, to 6.4 million tonnes, with an increase in its production by 17.7%, to 6.99 million tonnes. According to the monthly report of the department, in 2021/2022, an increase in sunflowerseed production in Ukraine is expected by 18.4% compared to 2020/2021, to 16.7 million tonnes, sunflowerseed meal exports are expected to grow by 16.4%, to 5.3 million tonnes.
The USDA said that the growth in exports of sunflower oil and meal compared to the low level of the last marketing season will be due to the recovery of oil extraction volumes in Ukraine.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also said that Ukraine rapeseed production is forecast to recover from last season’s low level, rising 200,000 tonnes to 3.0 million. Exports are projected to rise 190,000 tonnes to 2.6 million. Exports of rapeseed meal at 175,000 tonnes and oil at 165,000 tonnes are forecast to rise.
