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Ukraine to buy 25 million Pfizer vaccine doses a year over 2022-23 – Metro US

Ukraine to buy 25 million Pfizer vaccine doses a year over 2022-23

Deputy health minister Viktor Lyashko speaks during a news conference
Deputy health minister Viktor Lyashko speaks during a news conference in Kyiv

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine has extended its contract with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer for 2022-23 and will receive 25 million doses annually, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Tuesday.

Having lagged behind other European nations with its vaccine rollout, Ukraine is trying to catch up in the face of a surge in infections, he said.

“Ukraine is approaching the World Health Organization’s vaccination goal to have 40% of the adult population vaccinated by the end of 2021,” Lyashko said at a televised briefing.

He said, that 10 million people had received two doses of vaccine in the country of 41 million people.

Ukraine has registered 3.4 million COVID-19 cases with 82,318 deaths since the pandemic started last year.

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Editing by David Goodman)