WASHINGTON. D.C...A large number of Ukrainian private business leaders have already made substantial donations to medical and other organizations in Ukraine to help in the dedicated fight against COVID-19.

(1) Philip Morris Ukraine donated 10 mln UAH to the Charity Fund “Health for all” to help fighting coronavirus.  “We are keeping a constant contact with the Ministry of Health and Office of the President in order to allocate funds as efficiently as possible. According to preliminary estimates, a significant part will be spent on the purchase of personal protective equipment for doctors.  The remainder will be reserved for emergency needs of hospitals at the time of the epidemic outbreak,” said Sergei Shevchuk, head of the “Health for All” Foundation.

According to Shevchuk, it is very important that big business did not remain indifferent in such a situation. "We are grateful to Philip Morris Ukraine for their support and, in turn, we guarantee the purchase and transfer to the hospitals of the most necessary protective equipment in the nearest future," said Sergey Shevchuk.

(2) LCF Law Group are no staying aside and company has initiated the purchase of the medical supplies and medicines for the needs of the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of NAMS of Ukraine, with the assistance of the International Charitable Foundation “Spravedlyvist”.

Annually over 30,000 women and children from different regions of Ukraine receive ambulatory and hospital care at the Institute. And we wish every mom and baby to be healthy, especially in such a crisis period.

In particular, LCF Law Group delivered the following supplies: 25 protective clothing sets for doctors, 600 medical masks, 10 000 medical gloves, 200 liters of hand sanitizers and disinfectants, as well as antiviral medicines.

LCF Law Group joined the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and so can do every one! Please keep safe and stay at home!

(3) YUTS-Agroproduct LLC, which is part Ukraine's largest agricultural producers UkrLandFarming Agro Holding owned by Oleg Bakhmatyuk, has allocated UAH 200,000 (US$7,128) for the support of local medical facilities in their fight against coronavirus in Ukraine's Kherson region.

Thus, not only local authorities in Kherson region's Beryslav region, where the enterprise is located, but also businesses are allocating funds for urgent measures to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus), about it reports the local magazine Novyi Den (New Day). The funds will be used for urgent purchases of consumables for diagnosing acute viral diseases, equipment, personal protection gear, patients' transportation, ongoing maintenance of the oxygen system at the central district hospital for infectious diseases, etc.

"We've received financial assistance from philanthropists. YUTS-Agroproduct LLC provided UAH 200,000, while Ihor Kolykhaev's charity fund allocated UAH 150,000 [US$5,346]. We are very grateful to them, and we hope that other entrepreneurs will also 'catch up' and support us in this difficult time," CEO of Beryslav Central District Hospital Severian Kardava said. UkrLandFarming enterprises provide such assistance to local hospitals in many Ukrainian regions, the holding's press service said. Medical facilities address the agricultural holding's companies asking for help in acquiring specialized laboratory testing equipment, disinfectants, lung ventilators, ultrasonic inhalers, personal protective gear for medical staff, and consumables.

(4) Avellana Gold Company is a mineral exploration and development company purchased personal protective equipment and disinfectants to hospital in Muzhijevo village of Zakarpatska oblast.

(5) Agro holding Astarta by the end of the first quarter will allocate UAH 15 million for measures to overcome the coronavirus, the company said on Facebook on Wednesday.

“We purchase and transfer equipment, tests, personal protective equipment, disinfectants and other necessary materials to medical institutions. Currently, 24 hospitals in the Poltava, Khmelnitsky, Vinnitsa, Zhytomyr, Ternopol, Kharkov and Chernihiv regions have received help, and this support program continues ", - noted in the company.

Astarta also purchased 15 mechanical ventilation devices and 5 oxygen concentrators for a number of hospitals, the delivery of this equipment is expected from abroad in April-May. In addition, she handed over kits with the necessary protection for doctors to 36 hospitals.

(6) BAT working on potential covid-19 vaccine through US bio-tech subsidiary. BAT’s US bio-tech subsidiary, Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), is developing a potential vaccine for COVID-19 and is now in pre-clinical testing.

If testing goes well, BAT is hopeful that, with the right partners and support from government agencies, between 1 and 3 million doses of the vaccine could be manufactured per week, beginning in June. While KBP remains a commercial operation, the intention is that its work around the Covid-19 vaccine project will be carried out on a not for profit basis.

The vaccine in development uses BAT’s proprietary, fast-growing tobacco plant technology which has several advantages over conventional vaccine production technology: • It is potentially safer given that tobacco plants can’t host pathogens which cause human disease. • It is faster because the elements of the vaccine accumulate in tobacco plants much more quickly – 6 weeks in tobacco plants versus several months using conventional methods. • The vaccine formulation KBP is developing remains stable at room temperature, unlike conventional vaccines which often require refrigeration. • It has the potential to deliver an effective immune response in a single dose.

(7) Corteva Agriscience is committed to helping individuals and communities impacted by COVID-19. This year, Corteva will donate more than $1.5 million USD to global food security organizations around the world that are helping those that are food insecure during these challenging times. Corteva employees have been encouraged to make donations to food banks, food pantries and other organizations. The company is also donating supplies and materials that can be used by professionals who are working to treat and prevent the COVID-19 spread.

(8) The U.S. Government has committed $1.2 million in health & humanitarian assistance to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Ukraine. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is coordinating with the Government of Ukraine and international humanitarian partners and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment.

With the newly announced funding, USAID will help Ukraine strengthen its clinical care to minimize the risk of onward transmission of the virus; prevent and control infections in health-care facilities; prepare laboratory systems for large-scale testing of COVID-19; educate Ukraine's population (through media campaigns) on how it can prevent the spread of the virus; and train rapid-response teams to investigate cases and conduct contact tracing.

(9) EPAM Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and software development services, today announced that it has released the GENTL Mask, an open source solution for manufacturers to address the supply shortage of protective masks that medical professionals need amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The GENTL Mask was designed by EPAM Continuum, the integrated business, technology and experience consulting practice of EPAM. The GENTL Mask offers an open source design that requires readily available materials and a simple manufacturing process, enabling localized manufacturing plants to help close the supply chain gap.

Designed with a modular approach to be scaled quickly, the GENTL mask allows manufacturers to easily produce a two-layer version used for general protection or a flat-cut, three-layer version that utilizes industrial-grade filter materials capable of capturing particles above 1.0 µm for added protection. Learn more about the GENTL Mask at solutionshub.epam.com/solution/gentl-mask. For more information about the GENTL Mask or to connect with a local manufacturing source or hospital system, please contact GENTL_mask@epam.com.

(10) ADM  announced today that it is has committed a total of approximately $1 million to various organizations involved in the fight against COVID-19.

The contributions include commitments to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization (powered by the United Nations Foundation), various regional and local charities focusing on COVID-19 in the areas where ADM operates, and matches to ADM employee contributions to COVID-19 relief and mitigation. ADM also has available funds for employees who have been adversely affected in this difficult time under its Colleague Emergency Fund, which provides grants to colleagues facing unusual and severe financial strain due to sudden crises outside of their control.

“This is a moment to step up for humanity," said Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the UN Foundation. "And I thank ADM for their generous contribution to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Their donation puts a stake in the ground for what is most important -- coming together, in solidarity, against a virus that affects us all.”

(11) GE Healthcare and Ford collaborate to accelerate and scale ventilator production, supporting clinicians in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. GE Healthcare provides information to clinicians who are considering the use of anesthesia systems to ventilate COVID-19 patients, following FDA guidance.

GE Healthcare and Ford Motor Company will work together to scale the production of ventilators, arming clinicians with medical equipment important in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Through this collaboration, Ford will provide its technical and production expertise with the goal of manufacturing a simplified design of GE Healthcare’s existing ventilator. This new system would be built specifically to address urgent needs during the pandemic, equipped with the essential functions required to safely treat COVID-19 patients.

“We are encouraged by how quickly companies from across industries have mobilized to help address the growing challenge we collectively face from COVID-19,” said GE Healthcare president and CEO Kieran Murphy. “We are proud to bring our clinical and technical expertise to this collaboration with Ford, working together to serve unprecedented demand for this life-saving technology and support clinicians as they meet patient needs.”

(12) SoftServe will allocate 10 million UAH to support medical institutions in the fight against the pandemic coronavirus. The funds will be transferred to the Charitable Foundation “Open eye” and directed to address urgent medical needs in the locations where the company's offices are located.

“It is now extremely important for Ukrainian entrepreneurs to unite, as we always do in difficult times. We need to come together to support the medical system at all levels and help withstand the impact and protect the population from the pandemic or its effects.” - says co-founder and board member of SoftServe, and head of the Charitable Foundation, Taras Vervega.

(13) Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has announced that is has selected its lead candidate for a COVID-19 vaccine, after pre-clinical research.

Through collaborations with scientists at multiple academic institutions, J&J’s vaccine constructs were pre-clinically tested to identify those with the most promise in producing an immune response. The company is also developing two back-up vaccine options.

J&J and the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) have overall committed more than $1 billion towards the R&D of the novel coronavirus vaccine.

Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of J&J, said: “The world is facing an urgent public health crisis and we are committed to doing our part to make a COVID-19 vaccine available and affordable globally as quickly as possible. As the world’s largest healthcare company, we feel a deep responsibility to improve the health of people around the world every day. J&J is well positioned through our combination of scientific expertise, operational scale and financial strength to bring our resources in collaboration with others to accelerate the fight against this pandemic.”

(14) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Zelenskiy have agreed on a €150 million loan from Germany to help Ukraine fight Covid-19. These funds would be in addition to two other new sources of money to fight the epidemic: €40 million from the European Investment Bank, and €80 million from the European Commission.

(15) Vodafone Ukraine owner gives USD 1 mln for fight against coronavirus

Azerbaijan group Neqsol Holding, owner of mobile operator Vodafone Ukraine, has allocated USD 1 million to combat the coronavirus pandemic in Ukraine. The money will be used for the acquisition of equipment, testing systems, preparations and supplies needed by health-care sites and pharmacies.  Neqsol Holding also owns Azerbaijan mobile operator Bakcell. Bakcell completed its acquisition of Vodafone Ukraine in December 2019.

(16) The national chain of Silpo supermarkets allocated UAH 100 million to purchase equipment for hospitals and medical protective equipment. Network retail director Alexander Prydukhin noted that “the company also purchased 12 high-quality Swiss-made HAMILTON mechanical ventilation devices. This is 13 million UAH. As soon as the equipment is delivered to Ukraine, it will be sent to hospitals in the Kiev, Vinnitsa, Kirovograd, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk regions”.

(17) The Ukrainian businessman, co-owner of the ATB supermarket chain and owner of the BGV Group investment company Gennady Butkevich allocated more than 14 million UAH for the purchase of medical goods that are already being delivered to medical institutions in the Zhytomyr region. Respirators, biosecurity suits, medical gloves, masks, antiseptics, for more than 1 million UAH. In addition, Butkevich’s company delivered 75 multifunctional beds for medical purposes to the Zhytomyr Region in the amount of more than UAH 1.5 million.

(18) The project for assisting pensioners was launched by Novaya Pochta, the The charitable foundation “LIFELOVER”, and the Rozetka online supermarket. Vladislav Chechetkin Rozetka CEO wrote in Facebook. According to him, more than 3 thousand food packages have been formed, which will be transported to different regions of the country.

USUBC NOTE: Philip Morris Ukraine, LCF Law Group, UkrLandFarming, Avellana Gold, ASTARTA Holding N.V., British American Tobacco (BAT), EPAM Systems, Inc, ADM, Corteva Agriscience, General Electric (GE), SoftServe, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) are members of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), Wash, D.C., www.USUBC.org

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Morgan Williams, President & CEO, mwilliams@usubc.org, www.USUBC.org.
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