Vietnam to have over 120 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021

A COVID-19 vaccine (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will have more than 120 million COVID-19 vaccine
doses in 2021, the announced on June 3.

Besides the AstraZeneca vaccine, Vietnam has negotiated to
procure 5 million Moderna doses, 31 million Pfizer doses and 20 million Sputnik
V doses.

Specifically, the ministry said June 2 that Russia agreed to
provide Vietnam with 20 million doses of its vaccine Sputnik V this year.

In May, US-based authorised a company to distribute
5 million doses to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City asked for permission to
purchase this kind of vaccine.

Meanwhile, on May 20, the ministry signed a contract with US-based
firm Pfizer, under which 15.5 million doses will be supplied for Vietnam in the
third quarter and 15.5 million doses in the fourth quarter of 2021.

At present, Vietnam is using the vaccine, with
1.1 million doses injected. In October 2020, the ministry negotiated with the British-Swedish
company to buy 30 million doses.

Also in the third quarter of 2020, the ministry successfully
negotiated to secure 38.9 million doses through the COVAX Facility, of which
881,200 doses were delivered to Vietnam on April 1. The second batch of more than
1.68 million doses arrived in the country on May 16.

Minster of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that since May, the
ministry and relevant ministries and agencies have actively engaged in talks to
get access to COVID-19 vaccine sources, and made every effort to secure more
vaccines, thus bringing people’s lives to normal.

To ensure finance, the Government and the Prime Minister
decided to establish a COVID-19 vaccine fund. To buy 150 million doses to
inoculate around 75 million people, the fund needs an estimated 25.2 trillion
VND (1.096 billion USD)./.