First batch of Pfizer vaccine arrives in Ukraine

The first batch of a coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech has been delivered to Ukraine today, April 16.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the batch consisting of 117,000 doses was delivered by plane to Kyiv Airport.

The Comirnaty vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech is an mRNA-based COVID‑19 vaccine against COVID-19, developed by the German company BioNTech in cooperation with the American pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer.

The vaccine, approved for emergency use by the WHO, is used in the United States, Great Britain, Canada and the EU. According to the results of clinical studies, its effectiveness is 95%.

The Comirnaty vaccine was registered in Ukraine on February 22, 2021.

A few days before the delivery of the Comirnaty vaccine, UNICEF delivered to Ukraine about 140,000 syringes for dilution of the vaccine with solvent and injections and more than 1,300 boxes for their safe disposal.

According to the vaccination plan, the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is intended for vaccination of residents of boarding houses, as well as employees of the State Emergency Service and State Border Guard Service.

In total, Ukraine expects to receive 8 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as part of the global COVAX initiative. In March, COVAX informed Ukraine about the allocation of additional 947,700 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine manufacture by Pfizer-BioNTech for Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, vaccination against COVID-19 began in Ukraine on February 24.

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