What Ukraine's April 2021 vaccine deliveries meant for its rollout
A look back at the vaccine shipments and the start of CoronaVac immunisation in the days around 19 April 2021.
What did Ukraine's vaccination effort look like on 19 April 2021? It was in its early stages, shaped by several types of vaccine arriving in the space of a few days.
Vaccination with CoronaVac, made by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech, began on 13 April 2021. Three days later, on 16 April, Ukraine received 117,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine through COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing initiative. The same day, as reported at the time, the country also received its first batch of Pfizer/BioNTech's Comirnaty vaccine through COVAX.
A mixed supply
By 19 April 2021, then, three different vaccines were part of Ukraine's immunisation effort: one supplied by a Chinese manufacturer and two arriving through COVAX. COVAX was the route for both the Oxford–AstraZeneca and the Pfizer/BioNTech shipments, which made the initiative central to the supply in that week.
The arrival of Comirnaty marked the first delivery of that vaccine to the country. The AstraZeneca consignment, at 117,000 doses, was the one with a stated size.
Other pressures
Public life was not occupied by the pandemic alone. On 15 April 2021 Ukraine protested against an alleged Russian announcement that, from the following week, the Kerch Strait would be closed to foreign warships and state ships until October. That placed a security dispute alongside the health campaign in the same days.
For readers looking back, the notable feature of 19 April 2021 is the breadth of supply that had been assembled within a week: a start of CoronaVac vaccination and two COVAX deliveries, even as a separate diplomatic dispute with Russia unfolded.
