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This week, as part of the COVAX initiative, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) delivered 3 freezers to Ukraine for storing the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 at ultra-low temperatures.

Freezers with a temperature range from -40°C to -86°C manufactured by Vestfrost, Denmark, will be installed in the warehouse of the state enterprise “Ukrmedpostach” of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

“In the coming months, we expect weekly deliveries of almost half a million doses of Comirnaty vaccine from Pfizer-Biontech, so we need more equipment for logistics chains. Ultra-cold vaccine freezers will help us store this vaccine securely and protect more and more Ukrainians from the dangerous COVID-19. We are grateful to our partners who support us in this responsible process”, Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko said.

“A reliable cold chain is critical to ensuring that vaccines remain effective. The advent of mRNA vaccines in the context of COVID has prompted many countries to upgrade their cold chain equipment to be able to work with new technologies that require ultra-low temperature conditions. At UNICEF, we are proud to be able to support Ukraine in this renovation, and we would like to express our gratitude to the COVAX partners and donors who make this possible. This makes it possible to store a larger volume of vaccines at ultra-low temperatures, ensuring that they remain effective in protecting people in Ukraine from COVID-19”, said Murat Sahin, head of the UNICEF representative office in Ukraine.

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

Ukraine will also continue to receive COVID-19 vaccines as part of COVAX, an unprecedented global solidarity initiative to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries. As of today, 4,325,910 doses of vaccines from various manufacturers (Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca) have been delivered to Ukraine as part of COVAX.

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 Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI), WHO, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), while UNICEF works with manufacturers and partners to purchase and logistics 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.