Ukraine receives half a million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Denmark

Today 509,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, donated by Denmark, arrived in Ukraine. The Danish donation was announced earlier this summer. 

UNICEF supported the delivery by providing international transportation of the vaccines from the Danish Serum Institute to Kyiv.

This supply is a bilateral donation by the Danish Government to Ukraine and part of Denmark's goal of donating three million doses of COVID vaccines before the end of 2021 to various countries. 

The donated vaccines have a WHO Emergency Use Listing.

Vaccines from this supply are intended for those who are to receive the second dose, and for use at vaccination points.

Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine, said: "We have set an ambitious goal to protect as many Ukrainians as possible from COVID-19 by the end of this year. The campaign infrastructure is also growing: over 350 mass vaccination centers and almost all available vaccination points are operating. We are constantly increasing the pace of vaccination so that everyone wishing to get vaccinated has access to it. We are grateful to the Danish Government for their direct support in providing the vaccine and for cooperation. I urge Ukrainians who have not yet been vaccinated not to delay and visit the closest mass vaccination centre in order to protect their health."

The Danish Ambassador to Ukraine, Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, states: “Denmark and Ukraine are close partners – including in the fight against the pandemic. The delivery of these 500.000 AstraZeneca vaccines is very timely – as it is of utmost importance to vaccinate as many people as possible before autumn. I would like to thank UNICEF and the Ukrainian authorities for their assistance, as well as the frontline health care workers who continue to save lives every day across the country.” 

Michaela Bauer, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Ukraine, said: “This is another outstanding example of international solidarity in which well-supplied countries donate their doses of COVID-19 vaccines to those who need them amid the global emergency. We are grateful to the Government of Denmark for choosing to support Ukraine with safe and effective vaccines to help protect more people from the devastating effects of COVID. With help from partners, UNICEF will continue supporting the COVID-19 response in Ukraine, including through delivery of vaccines. In the face of a new wave of COVID-19, it is essential to ensure that every person, especially those who are most at risk, have access to life-saving vaccines.”

As immunization is taking place alongside the pandemic, it is crucially important that infection prevention and control measures are rigorously applied at vaccination centres and points: with proper distancing, ventilation and people wearing masks to avoid infection in queues or while staying at the facility for 30 minutes after the injection.