As of December 9, first dose coverage stands at 45% while overall number of jabs have reached 26 million doses, said Ukraine’s sanitary agency chief Ihor Kuzin in a briefing Thursday.

The health official raised concern over flagging vaccination rates in western Ukraine. Among the ‘anti-leaders of vaccination campaign are Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn and Zakarpattia regions’, Kuzin stated.

The government is also pushing for harsher vaccine requirements with a new mandate made effective December 9 that target workers in state offices, state post office and rail operator.

It should be noted that the Ukrainian government eased the quarantine restrictions on December 6 moving 7 regions and Kyiv to the yellow zone.

The officials, though, kept in place the red zone requirement for 100% staff vaccination in educational and cultural institutions, restaurants, gyms, etc.