Ukraine hits another record for daily coronavirus deaths

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has hit another record for daily coronavirus deaths amid a spike in infections fueled by public reluctance to receive vaccines. The Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 833 coronavirus deaths over the past day, surpassing the previous high of 793 over the weekend and bringing the country’s total confirmed COVID-19 deaths to 73,390. Although four vaccines are available in Ukraine — Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Sinovac — only 18% of the population has been fully vaccinated. That is Europe’s second-lowest rate after Armenia. In an bid to speed up vaccine uptake, Ukrainian authorities are requiring teachers, government employees and other workers to get vaccinated.