President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday announced compensation for Ukrainians who have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to encourage his largely suspicious compatriots to get immunized.
"Each person having received two doses will be able to obtain 1000 hryvnias", or about 35 euros.
A significant amount in this country, one of the poorest in Europe, while to date less than a third of Ukrainians are completely immune.
The vaccinated people can then spend this amount for a subscription in a sports hall, to go to the cinema, to the theater, to the museum or to pay for a trip by train or by plane within the country.
"It is the support of the industries most affected by lockdowns", explains the president.
The State plans to grant 200 million euros in the coming months for this program which will be launched on December 19.
Record of deaths, behind Russia
With 442 deaths linked to the coronavirus recorded in 24 hours, the former Soviet republic with a failing public health system was on Monday the second country in the world with the most new daily deaths, behind Russia (1,211).
The country of about 40 million inhabitants has been facing for weeks its worst wave of the new coronavirus, carried by the Delta variant, more contagious, and the mistrust of the population vis-à-vis vaccines.
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Vaccination accelerated in October under pressure from the authorities who put in place restrictions for the unvaccinated, such as the obligation to show a health pass to access certain public places.
But to date, only 28% of Ukrainians have received two doses of the anti-Covid vaccine, the Minister of Health said on Monday.
"We have passed the peak of this wave" of the pandemic, however assured Monday Zelensky, according to which the number of new cases fell by 6% and that of hospitalizations by 13% last week compared to the previous seven days.
In total, the country of nearly 45 million people has recorded 3.2 million cases of this disease, including more than 77,000 deaths.
