President of Ukraine announces financial remuneration for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19

The president of Ukraine, Volodimir zelenski, announced on Monday a remuneration to Ukrainians who have received two doses of the vaccine against COVID-19, to encourage their compatriots to be immunized against the virus.

“Each person who has received two doses will be able to get 1,000 hryvnia,” about $ 42, a not inconsiderable sum in this country, one of the poorest in Europe, Zelensky announced in a video.

Less than a third of Ukrainians are fully immunized against the coronavirus.

Vaccinated people will be able to use the money to go to the cinema, the theater, the museum or pay for a trip by train or plane to the interior of the country, the president said.

The government plans to disburse $ 240 million in the coming months for this program, which will be launched on December 19, he added.

With 442 deaths linked to the coronavirus in 24 hours, the former Soviet republic was on Monday the second country in the world with the highest number of deaths registered in one day, behind Russia.

The country of almost 45 million inhabitants has faced its worst coronavirus wave in recent weeks due to the contagious delta variant, while the population, in large part, refuses to be vaccinated.

The inoculation was accelerated in October under pressure from the authorities who imposed restrictions, such as the obligation to show a vaccination certificate to access certain public places.

Only 28% of Ukrainians have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

In total, the country registers 3.2 million cases of COVID-19 and 77,000 deaths.