In response to a request from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense received in January, Latvia's Ministry of Health announced its decision to donate a medical transport vehicle and 51,840 doses of the 'Comirnaty' Covid-19 vaccine to Ukraine. The request highlighted a critical need for medical transportation resources and vaccine supplies due to worsening epidemiological conditions in Ukraine. This aid aims to enhance Ukraine's healthcare response during a challenging time.

The Latvian government emphasized that the donated vaccines had a limited shelf life, expiring on December 31 of the current year, making it unlikely that they would be fully utilized within Latvia's national vaccination campaign before that date. Therefore, the decision to donate rather than dispose of the doses was deemed a prudent response to an emerging health crisis in a neighboring country. Latvia's Ministry of Health calculated that storing the vaccines domestically would incur a cost of 1,208 euros, while destroying them would cost 135.12 euros, further justifying the donation.

Moreover, the donation is made possible by restrictions from the vaccine manufacturer, Pfizer, which prohibits the sale of vaccines to other countries, including Ukraine. This restriction underscores the significance of international solidarity in times of crisis, as donations such as these enable assistance to be provided where it is urgently needed without violating contractual agreements with manufacturers.