Ukraine to receive 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccines

The Health Ministry announced on April 6 on Facebook
that it had signed an agreement with Pfizer for the purchase of 10 million
doses of coronavirus vaccine. President Zelensky thanked Pfizer CEO Albert
Bourla by Twitter for making the vaccine available. The vaccine will be
provided by the end of 2021.

The U.S. embassy in Kyiv also announced on Facebook on
Apr. 6 that through USAID, the American government would be “providing direct
support for ultra-cold chain storage / transportation” as well as helping with
delivering the Ukrainian government’s messaging about vaccination.

Currently in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic is
reaching heights that swamp the country’s healthcare system. On April 6, Health
Minister Maxim Stepanov declared that 58% of the hospital beds with oxygen are
occupied, and that the 67,000 beds available are the maximum. “There is nowhere
to increase further,” he said.

The Health Ministry reported on Facebook on April 7
that it had registered 15,415 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. A new
high of 481 deaths caused by the disease were recorded.

James Hydzik: The Pfizer vaccine news is certainly a bright moment for a government
that has been roundly criticized for its handling of practically every aspect
of the vaccine procurement and roll out thus far. Furthermore, the value of the
USAID assistance with logistics and the roll-out cannot be underestimated. For
example, the Wikipedia article on Healthcare in Ukraine points to the failure
to keep vaccines properly refrigerated as one of the problems with vaccination
in Ukraine. Ensuring that as much of the supply chain as possible is to be kept
tightly controlled will be important for convincing a highly skeptical populace
that the vaccine and conditions are acceptable.