Ukraine negotiating on US COVID vaccines as Sinovac arrives

Health Minister Maksym Stepanov told radiosvaboda.org
that the Ukrainian government was negotiating with the U.S. on receiving
American vaccines. In an interview on March 27, Stepanov stated that
negotiations with companies and the U.S. government were ongoing and that
announcements on the matter would be coming out soon.

Stepanov also explained that the shipment of Sinovac
vaccine from China would undergo 10 days of testing. The minister complained
about the negative press regarding Chinese and India-produced vaccines, saying,
“If anyone thinks that there will be no discrediting of the Pfizer vaccine,
they are deeply mistaken.”

He was asked about the detection of a more virulent
mutation of the British variant of coronavirus found in the Carpathians
recently, and the decisions of the ministry not to close the winter holiday
resorts. He complained about the on-again, off-again response by the populace
to the restrictions put in place.

On March 26, Minister Stepanov spoke out against
hospitals refusing to accept COVID patients. The Health Ministry posted on
Facebook the important points of a meeting with Ukrainian Railways representatives
held on the same day. The minister pointed out that inspections of line
ministries’ hospitals would begin on March 29 to ensure that hospitals that
received COVID-related funding were making good on their commitments.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers approved on March
26 UAH 8,000 payments to single tax payers (usually, small enterpreneurs)
affected by COVID-related retrictions.

James Hydzik: The fact
that line ministry hospitals are taking money and failing to deliver when
needed is only one indication that life is returning to normal despite COVID.
People spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt, and politicians scoring political
points are problems everywhere. Coronavirus fatigue, or at least a deadly
over-familiarity with the pandemic, is setting in. In Ukraine, where doctors
are paid “less than a cashier at a supermarket”, as Stepanov told Radio
Svoboda, sorting out relations such as fair salaries for professionals and how
to pay them, are more of a country-specific issue.

However, the issue of vaccine provision will
continue to haunt the administration. The government’s program has been
scandal-ridden. The interview alluded to this with a question about Stepanov’s
extremely expensive jacket, but did not explore the irregularities of
government vaccine purchases. Until a transparent, verifiable implementation of
the very best vaccine occurs, distrust will continue to drive public reaction.