Ukraine's first COVID-19 vaccinations and the Sternenko sentence
A look back at the days around 25 February 2021, when vaccination began in Ukraine and an Odesa court sentenced activist Serhiy Sternenko.
What was happening in Ukraine around 25 February 2021? Two developments from the preceding days stood out: the start of COVID-19 vaccination and a court verdict against an activist in Odesa.
Vaccination begins
On 23 February 2021, Ukraine had two COVID-19 vaccines registered: one from AstraZeneca and one from Pfizer/BioNTech. The same day, the first batch of the Covishield vaccine arrived in the country. As reported at the time, the shipment contained 500 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
On 24 February 2021, the first person in Ukraine was vaccinated against coronavirus, using the AstraZeneca vaccine. The arrival of the doses and the first injection came within a day of each other.
Verdict in Odesa
On 23 February 2021, the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa sentenced the activist Serhiy Sternenko to seven years and three months in prison, with confiscation of half of his property.
Together, the two stories marked the days leading up to 25 February 2021: the start of a vaccination campaign with a small first shipment, and a prison sentence handed down to a known activist.
