Another batch of CoronaVac coronavirus vaccine produced by the Chinese company Sinovac Life Sciences in the amount of 500,000 doses will arrive in Ukraine on Friday, April 30, Minister of Health of Ukraine Maksym Stepanov said.
“Sinovac has just confirmed to us the next delivery of CoronaVac vaccine. Tomorrow evening, 500,000 doses from our contract for 1.9 million doses will arrive in Kyiv,” Stepanov wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday evening.
Previously Stepanov said: “We expect Pfizer from two sources. The first is COVAX – 473,000 doses. We have received the official confirmation from COVAX that this will happen in the timeframe from May 17 to May 18. Also in May, we expect to get also about 500,000 doses under a direct contract from Pfizer. It will be used according to the vaccination plan in the categories of risk groups for people who are over 60 years old, or people who have concomitant diseases,” said Stepanov on the air of the Nash TV channel on Tuesday.
The minister also said when to wait for a new delivery of the Chinese vaccine CoronaVac. “By the way, today we have received confirmation, including from the Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine, that the next 500,000 doses of the vaccine should arrive in Ukraine by April 30,” Stepanov said.
Immunization of Ukrainians with the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Chinese company Sinovac (CoronaVac) will start on Tuesday, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday. “The Ministry of Health has completed all the processes of testing and laboratory control of the vaccine and today we are starting the process of vaccination with this vaccine,” he said.
Stepanov said that 215,000 doses of the vaccine have already been delivered to Ukraine, the remaining 1.7 million doses will be delivered in April-May.
According to him, the vaccine will be used for vaccinations of low-mobility groups of the population, social workers, teachers who will take part in the External Independent Evaluation (ZNO), Olympians, Paralympians who are preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, employees of the National Police, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, workers of critical infrastructure.
Stepanov said that 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine are expected to be delivered during the week as part of the COVAX initiative. This vaccine is planned to vaccinate citizens staying at boarding schools, homes for the elderly, as well as employees of these institutions.
The second batch of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine from the Chinese manufacturer Sinovac Biotech is expected in the coming weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
He said that the signed contract provides for the receipt of almost 2 million doses, according to the presidential press service.
“In addition to China, the Sinovac vaccine is already used by 18 countries of the world. In particular, Turkey, where President Erdogan and Patriarch Bartholomew were vaccinated with it,” Zelensky said.
As reported, on Thursday evening, March 25, the first batch of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac, produced by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech, in amount of 215,000 doses, arrived at Boryspil International Airport.
The first batch of 1.915 million doses of CoronaVac vaccine against coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, produced by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech, was sent to Ukraine on Thursday, March 25, according to the website of the Ukrainian Embassy in China.
“The inactivated vaccine, which was registered by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on March 10, has passed all stages of clinical trials that officially confirmed its effectiveness and safety.
Currently, the vaccine has been successfully used to protect the population in China, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Turkey, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries,” the message said.
The first batch of the CoronaVac vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac and purchased with the state budgetary funds will be delivered to Ukraine before the end of March, Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said.
“I had a conversation with the Chinese side, among others, with the Chinese ambassador to Ukraine directly, and according to the supplier, we must receive the vaccine, the first batches, by the end of March. These are 700,000 doses under the contract,” he said on the air of the Freedom of Speech (Svoboda Slova) program on ICTV on Friday evening.
CoronaVac will be used for vaccination immediately after its first batch is delivered, he said.
“It is an issue that concerns the supplies of all vaccines without an exception. As you can see, supplies of absolutely all vaccines of all manufacturers are being delayed all the time,” he said.
