Vaccination, testing for COVID-19 available at train stations across Ukraine

Travelers in Ukraine will now be able to get a COVID-19 test or vaccine at the largest railway stations across the country. 

Rapid testing points have opened at train stations in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Mukachevo, Kryvyi Rih, Vinnytsia and Poltava, state-owned rail monopoly Ukrzaliznytsia announced on Oct.21. 

People who have a train ticket can get tested for Hr 350 ($13). 

“Unvaccinated passengers can get tested for a good price and get a certificate, which will be the basis for travel in case of a negative result,” the statement reads.

New vaccination points started operating at five railway stations — in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Dnipro.

Starting Oct. 21, all passengers traveling by air, bus or train between the yellow, orange, and red regions must either provide a two-dose vaccine certificate (at least one dose if they’re traveling between two yellow zones), or a negative PCR or rapid test result received within the past 72 hours.

Foreign vaccine certificates and negative PCR test results through the Action Portal app will also be accepted. Currently, five Ukrainian oblasts are yellow, 15 are orange, and five are red.

On Oct. 12, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko released a statement to clarify that the new rules will not apply to minors, as they cannot receive a COVID vaccine.

“Children under the age of 18 will be able to use public transport on trips between regions without presenting negative tests for COVID-19 and certificates or international vaccination certificates. For children over the age of 12, it remains a mandatory rule to use protective masks while in public places, including transport, ” said Lyashko.

Ukraine’s daily COVID-19 infection rate continues to spike. The country has registered 22,415 new cases of COVID-19 as of 9 a.m. on Oct. 20, 546 have died, which is a new daily record. Ukraine has had 2.7 million cases since the pandemic began.

As of Oct. 21, over 8.3 million people have received the first of two doses; 6.7 million Ukrainians are fully vaccinated.

All adults, including foreigners with a residence permit, can get vaccinated for free. They can get a shot at their local clinics or one of more than 400 mass vaccination centers throughout the country.

Kyiv has 36 such centers, including the International Exhibition Center near the Livoberezhna metro station and Kyiv Boryspil International Airport. The full list is available here.