World Bank to allocate $100 million for Ukraine to fight COVID-19

The World Bank and the Health Ministry of Ukraine are working on a joint project worth 100 million US dollars to buy doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and hospitals' equipment.

Deputy health minister Svitlana Shatalova said on Thursday, as the number of new infections in the country hit a daily record high, Report says, citing TASS.

"We are now working on a package of documents, working very actively to finalize all agreements," she told a televised briefing.

"The funds will be allocated for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as for diagnostic and laboratory equipment," she said, without giving further details.

Ukraine's Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said last week the country hoped to receive 8 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in the first half of next year under the global COVAX Facility, set up to provide the vaccine to poorer countries.

Earlier on Thursday, Stepanov said Ukraine had registered a record 15,331 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, up from a previous peak of 14,580 reported on Nov. 21.

The daily tally began rising in September and has been consistently high ever since.