Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday tasked law enforcement agencies with verifying reports about a coronavirus vaccine being sneaked into the country for a "covert" immunization of the top elite
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th January, 2021) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday tasked law enforcement agencies with verifying reports about a coronavirus vaccine being sneaked into the country for a "covert" immunization of the top elite.
While Ukraine has yet to receive first vaccine shots, media reported on Tuesday that some 10 lawmakers, businessmen and top officials had been "secretly immunized" with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, paying up to 3,000 Euros ($3,690) for two injections. Mykhailo Radutsky, the chairman of the parliamentary health committee and a member of the pro-presidential party, has denied the information. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is also claimed to have got inoculated, has ordered a probe into the allegations.
"I have instructed the Security Service and other law enforcement agencies to immediately check information about the alleged smuggling of a coronavirus vaccine into Ukraine. If it did occur to someone to covertly and in violation of law smuggle a vaccine for sale, the reaction should be as tough as possible. Smuggling and counterfeit should be punished," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
The president noted that the country had a clear vaccination campaign plan, under which people from risk groups and frontline health care workers will be the first to receive COVID-19 shots once they arrive in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said in December that he had tasked the health ministry with acquiring 100,000 to 200,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in January or February at the latest. Health Minister Maxym Stepanov said that technical documents have already been signed with the COVAX mechanism for the supply of 8 million vaccine doses. Later, the country struck a contract for a further 1.9 million doses with China's Sinovac Biotech.
