Last week, Ukraine received 215,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese manufacturer Sinovac Biotech and expects the next batch in the coming weeks. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Head of State noted that the signed contract provides for almost 2 million doses of the vaccine.
"Apart from China, the Sinovac vaccine is already used in 18 countries around the world. In particular, Turkey, where President Erdoğan and Patriarch Bartholomew were vaccinated with it,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In addition, according to him, almost 50 million people in India and Europe have been vaccinated with CoviShield from AstraZeneca, which eloquently demonstrates the recognition of its safety and quality.
"The number of vaccinated and the pace of vaccination in Ukraine is growing daily. Of course, these figures are still far from ideal, but it must be acknowledged that all European Union countries have also lagged behind the vaccination plan. We are actively working for the successful implementation of the vaccination plan in Ukraine. For this, both the readiness of society to vaccinate and the provision of a sufficient number of vaccines are important,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
According to him, the vaccination process is facing difficulties, as India has restrictions on the export of the vaccine, and Ukraine expects that the Indian government will reconsider this decision.
"However, it should be understood that the public statements of some Ukrainian politicians do not contribute to a positive solution to this issue at all, but rather strongly hinder it. They have launched a large-scale and dirty campaign to discredit both the vaccine itself and the vaccination process in general," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that politicians have lost their mind in the pursuit of rapid popularity, and they do not care that Ukrainians may die because of their negative statements about the vaccine.
"I strongly urge these politicians to choose very carefully the words that fly out of their mouth. Because you will definitely have to answer for each of these words. Both to the law of Ukraine, and to God. Decide for yourself which is the greater argument for you,” the President summed up.