Ukraine needs to develop a system of “vaccination passports” and increase collective immunity from COVID-19 – Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The supply of vaccines against COVID-19 and the possibility of introducing “vaccination passports” were discussed at a conference call on preventing the spread of coronavirus, which took place under the chairmanship of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is reported by Upmp.news with reference to Official website President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President inquired about the increase in the number of vaccination facilities for citizens, as well as the plans for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines that Ukraine expects in the near future.

The Ministry of Health informed that as of today, more than 1,200 vaccination facilities should be available. It is also expected that Ukraine will soon receive 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca and 117,000 doses of Pfizer under the COVAX program. Vaccination with the second dose will begin in late May, i.e. 12 weeks after the first vaccination. It is by this algorithm that the strongest immunity is formed.

Negotiations are underway on direct contracts for the purchase of vaccines, which will allow as many Ukrainians as possible to be vaccinated.

In addition, the issue of introducing “vaccination passports” was raised, which is now being considered in many countries in Europe and the world.

“These “passports” are already being elaborated by the countries of the European Union, the United States, Switzerland and Israel – that is, many developed countries that are actively working to create collective immunity against COVID-19. We also need to develop our own system of appropriate “passportization”, and to curb the spread of coronavirus disease, it is necessary to cover 70% of the adult population with vaccinations against COVID-19,” the President said.

Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov explained that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture have been monitoring the quality of data in the register of vaccinated from the very beginning. This will allow displaying “vaccination passports” when needed.

They also raised the issue of sick pay arrears. Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Maryna Lazebna informed that at a government meeting a decision had already been made to allocate funds for partial debt repayment. In particular, it is about UAH 400 million. The Cabinet of Ministers will continue to keep this issue under control to find sources to cover all debts.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that currently there are 316,777 active patients with COVID-19 in Ukraine.

“Today 10 regions and the city of Kyiv are in the “red” zone. The Kherson region is the only one in the “yellow” zone. The rest of the regions are in the “orange” zone. For the fifth week in a row, the number of hospitalizations has been growing,” the Prime Minister said. According to him, 44,369 beds out of 75,158 are occupied so far.

The Prime Minister noted that the number of tests is also growing. During the week, 326 thousand PCR tests, 251 thousand rapid tests and 125 thousand ELISA tests were performed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the National Police of Ukraine inspected 71,000 businesses for compliance with quarantine rules in 11 regions that are classified as “red”. The work of 90 businesses was shut down.