KIEV, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's Ministry of Health has approved a plan for vaccinating the population against COVID-19, in which 50 percent of the population, or 20 million people, will receive the vaccination in 2021-2022, the press service of the Center for Public Health (CPH) reported on Tuesday.

The document was developed by the health ministry's CPH specialists together with WHO and UNICEF experts.

"This document will be flexible, it will be updated depending on the COVID-19 situation, updated data on vaccines, and the availability of the vaccine against the disease itself, and the success of its implementation directly depends on partnerships and close cooperation with regional health institutions, local authorities, doctors and the public," stated the CPH acting general director Igor Kuzin.

The approved plan has four stages of vaccination, giving preference to the most vulnerable groups of citizens.

According to Kuzin, Ukraine is ready to receive the vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. Doctors working with COVID-19 patients will be vaccinated in the first place.

A total of 979,506 COVID-19 cases and 16,897 deaths had been registered in Ukraine, while 600,288 patients had recovered, the country's health ministry said Tuesday.