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Today, the United Nations Children's fund (UNICEF) delivered 2,000,040 doses of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine produced by the American company Moderna to Ukraine. This batch of vaccines is provided by the US government through the COVAX Global Fund.

“Our key goal is to protect as many Ukrainians as possible from COVID — 19. We are grateful to our partners who help us in this. Every day we increase the volume of vaccination so that everyone willing has access to it. I urge Ukrainians who have not yet been vaccinated not to delay and visit the nearest mass vaccination center to protect their health”, said Viktor Liashko, Minister of health of Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Moderna vaccine from this delivery is intended for use by mobile teams that vaccinate organized teams and professional groups from previous stages.

“It is extremely important that more vaccines are coming now, and more people in Ukraine can get protection from COVID-19, especially in the context of the next waves of pandemics. We are grateful to the US government for making this latest delivery possible. Better access to vaccines for all countries is the most effective way to overcome the pandemic. It is very important that people, especially those at risk, take advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated and avoid the harmful impact of COVID-19 on their health and the lives of their families”, said Laura Bill, acting Head of the UNICEF representative office in Ukraine.

The goal of the COVAX initiative, which is an unprecedented example of international cooperation, is to ensure that all countries, regardless of income level, have equal access to COVID-19 vaccines. Deliveries under COVAX will continue, and by the end of 2021, Ukraine is expected to receive enough vaccines from various manufacturers to protect up to 20% of the population from COVID under the initiative.

“WHO welcomes the first delivery of the Moderna vaccine through the COVAX mechanism to Ukraine. More than 2 million doses of vaccines have been delivered to Ukraine via COVAX in recent months, and today's deliveries will double the available vaccines. This vaccine is widely used in the USA and other countries. In mid - July, more than 1.3 million Ukrainians received two doses of the vaccine, and we urge residents of Ukraine to take advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated”, said Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative and head of the WHO office in Ukraine.

Storage and logistics of mRNA vaccines obtained from COVAX, in compliance with the correct cold chain in Ukraine, is provided by the US Agency for International Development USAID.

Earlier, Ukraine received 1,064,700 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and 1,072,800 doses of AstraZeneca as part of COVAX.

Although there are more vaccines available in Ukraine, COVID-19 vaccination coverage is still insufficient for people to refuse to maintain physical distance and wear masks, so these practices should continue.

For reference

Moderna is an mRNA vaccine developed by the American company Moderna. It has code name mRNA-1273 and trade name Spikevax. It is approved by WHO for emergency use. Two doses of the vaccine are required at 28-day intervals. The effectiveness of the vaccine is 94.1%.

The COVAX initiative aims to ensure fair and equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world. COVAX’s work is coordinated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), WHO, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), while UNICEF works with manufacturers and partners on purchase and logistics of COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX works with civil society organizations, vaccine manufacturers, the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the World Bank, and others.