(Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is
expected to secure 60 million doses in 2021 as the COVID-19 Vaccines Global
Access (COVAX) initiative and AstraZeneca have committed 30 million doses each
to the country, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on February 19.
Up to 150 million doses are needed to
ensure vaccination for all Vietnamese people, he stated during a virtual
meeting with localities on February 19 to discuss COVID-19 prevention and
control measures in the coming time.
Negotiations are underway with global
multilateral units such as COVAX or to ship vaccine home
as fast as possible, the minister affirmed.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has promptly
worked with organisations and vaccine developers in an endeavour to purchase
vaccine in the shortest time possible.
Procedures for vaccine procurement, import
and utilisation will be carried out in an urgent manner in line with the
regulations and recommendations of the World Health Organisation and
manufacturers.
Priority in vaccine access will be given to
pandemic-hit areas and high-risk people to ensure efficiency, Long added.
He also called on businesses with access to
vaccine supply sources to closely work with the MoH in vaccine imports, towards
the goal of providing vaccine for all Vietnamese people this year so as to facilitate
economic recovery.
Relevant agencies have been ordered to
ensure the efficient purchase and use of COVID-19 vaccine and at the same time
accelerate research and manufacturing of domestic vaccines that meet
international standards and work against emerging variants of the coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2, he noted./.
Source: VietnamPlus
