A total of 100,000 doses of Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine – Ad26.COV2-S – have been delivered to Ukraine this month under the COVAX initiative, and distributed to 22 regions in the country by the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.
Additionally, more than 100 medical workers and trainers across Ukraine have been taught by WHO to conduct further training on the use of Ad26.COV2-S, and Ukrainian healthcare workers have received over 23,000 copies of guidance materials on the use of the vaccine.
Ad26.COV2-S – also known as JNJ-78436735 or Jcovden – was approved for emergency use by WHO and registered in Ukraine in July 2021 for the vaccination of adults aged 18-years-old and over. The single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is an inactivated adenovirus vector – like the common cold virus – containing DNA that codes for the coronavirus ‘spike’ protein
Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO representative in Ukraine, said: “These vaccines will provide further protection against COVID-19 and we are working continuously with the Ministry of Health and health professionals to ensure that people in Ukraine have access to vaccines. WHO urges everybody to use the opportunity to protect themselves and others.”
Co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and WHO, the COVAX initiative aims to ensure ‘fair and equitable access’ to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is also working with manufacturers and partners on the procurement and logistics of COVID-19 vaccines for COVAX.
Ihor Kuzin, deputy minister of health of Ukraine and chief state sanitary doctor, said: “We are grateful to our international partners for their support to Ukraine. We know that COVID-19 has not disappeared, and we continue to record growing numbers of new cases of the disease.
“During the war, when people are often forced to be in overcrowded conditions and do not have full access to medical care, protection against COVID-19 with the help of vaccination is especially important.”
Outlining its COVID-19 vaccination policy in Ukraine, WHO stated that all adults and children over the age of 12 can be vaccinated against COVID-19, with age recommendations differing per vaccine.
Additionally, anyone over the age of 18 may receive a booster dose following the primary vaccination series, and those aged 60 and over, as well as those aged 18 to 59 with conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 disease, are prioritised for a second booster dose.