More vaccine doses from the , the global COVID-19 vaccine equity scheme, are scheduled to be delivered in Vietnam in July. (Photo: UNICEF)Hanoi (VNA) – More vaccine doses from the COVAX
Facility, the global COVID-19 vaccine equity scheme, are scheduled to be
delivered in Vietnam in July, Representative in Vietnam Rana
Flowers has told Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long.
Flowers and Long met in Hanoi to expedite the delivery of
vaccines to Vietnam amid the fourth coronavirus wave.
Long said Vietnam is battling the highly transmissible
Delta variant of coronavirus and several decisive measures have been put in
place to control the situation, including more talks with foreign manufacturers
and partners for more COVID-19 vaccines and facilitating local development of home-grown
vaccines.
One of Vietnam’s priorities now is to soon have enough
for mass inoculation, he said, reiterating the request for
UNICEF to work with COVAX to speed up delivery of vaccines to Vietnam in the
third quarter, and the country’s commitment to using the vaccines in a fair and
effective manner.
Flowers, for her part, cited a survey conducted by UNICEF
and its partners found that about 67 percent of Vietnamese respondents said
they are ready to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which is quite high.
She shared concerns over the complicated developments of
the current fourth wave in the country. She said that 1,910 high-capacity cold
chain fridges to store vaccines – supported by Australia’s aid to Vietnam –
will be delivered to Vietnam by UNICEF in late July.
UNICEF has also ordered five refrigerated trucks for
transportation of vaccines and the shipment will arrive in August and
September, along with some 5 million syringes via air routes.
Regarding expediting COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Vietnam
via the COVAX Facility, the UNICEF official remarked that the following batch
would be delivered as soon as it is approved by the World Health Organisation,
scheduled for July.
UNICEF has delivered some 2.5 million doses of
AstraZeneca vaccines to Vietnam from COVAX out of the commitment of nearly 39
million doses./.
Source: VietnamPlus
