Ukrainians protest against vaccination as COVID cases soar

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Anti-vaccine protesters have blocked central streets in the Ukrainian capital, protesting against state-imposed restrictions that require teachers, government employees and other workers to get fully vaccinated by Nov. 8 or have their salaries suspended. The government has also decided to bar the unvaccinated from using public transport in an effort to make vaccine-hesitant Ukrainians to take the jab. The measures come as Ukraine reports a record-high level of new infections and deaths from the coronavirus. Authorities have blamed the surge primarily on widespread public reluctance to get vaccinated. Ukrainians can choose between four shots, but just about 17.1% of the population has been fully vaccinated, which is Europe’s second-lowest rate after Armenia.