First Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Ukraine

The first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Ukraine on Friday, the health ministry said. The batch of 117,000 doses, provided under the global COVAX scheme, will be given to nursing home residents and staff, emergency workers and border guards, it said in a statement. Ukraine has already received the India-made AstraZeneca vaccine and China's Sinovac, and around 430,000 people have received their first shot.

The first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Ukraine on Friday, the health ministry said. The batch of 117,000 doses, provided under the global COVAX scheme, will be given to nursing home residents and staff, emergency workers, and border guards, it said in a statement.

Ukraine has already received the India-made AstraZeneca vaccine and China's Sinovac, and around 430,000 people have received their first shot. The country has reported more than 1.92 million coronavirus cases so far the pandemic and more than 39,000 deaths.

The central bank on Thursday cut Ukraine's 2021 GDP growth forecast, citing the slow progress of the vaccination program.