Ukraine ready to join development of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine – Stepanov

"I met with UK Ambassador to Ukraine Ms Melinda Simmons. We discussed, in particular, a further strategy for providing medical care in the event of a worsening epidemiological situation in Ukraine, the potential strengthening of quarantine measures, and the development of a Ukrainian vaccine against COVID-19," Stepanov wrote on his Facebook page.

He stressed that the Health Ministry is in constant contact with the UK-based global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which, together with the University of Oxford, is developing a vaccine against coronavirus, the production of which may be launched in the near future.

“We are also considering the possibility of joining the production of this vaccine. Our country expects to be one of the first to receive it,” Stepanov said.

He also told the interlocutor that over the past six months Ukraine had made a huge leap forward in preparing the medical system to provide assistance during the epidemic. The minister thanked the UK for its support in the fight against the epidemic and assistance in reforming the medical system in Ukraine.

As reported, on November 4, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered a bill that should simplify the procedure for vaccines and other medical immunobiological drugs.

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