Zelensky signs decree on vaccinations in Ukraine

President Zelensky signed on Apr. 4 a decree to
validate the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to vaccinate
most Ukrainians by the end of 2021. The announcement on the presidential
website states that the Cabinet of Ministers has seven days in which to “ensure
the development and approval of the National Vaccination Plan against
COVID-19”.

The plan needs to include monthly numbers of
vaccinations, identify people responsible for implementation, and determine the
sources and terms for vaccine supply. The Health Ministry is expected to “take
urgent and effective measures” to both ensure vaccine supply and communicate
the need to be vaccinated. The Foreign Affairs Ministry “should take urgent
measures” in the direction of improving ties with foreign and international
partners to secure the supply of vaccines.

James Hydzik: The decree
underlines the failure of Health Minister Maksym Stepanov to effectively lead
the country’s vaccination program. The minister himself did little to change
opinions over the weekend, when he announced that Ukraine might need to produce
a vaccine itself, and that it would be more expensive than by getting it
abroad. The assertion might be accurate, but it also draws attention away from
the unfolding crisis and the financial and human cost his failures have wrought
thus far.