Deputy Minister of Health: COVID-19 vaccination to begin soon

An overview of the press conference (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Health 
Truong Quoc Cuong has said COVID-19 vaccination will begin right after the Ministry of Health receives an accreditation certificate from the Republic of Korea
(RoK), scheduled for late this week or early next week.

At the Government’s
regular press conference in Hanoi on March 2, Cuong said the first batch of
AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured in the RoK, arrived in Vietnam on February 24.

The Ministry of Health assigned
the National Institute for Control of Vaccine and Biologicals to verify the
batch of vaccine, which has been basically completed. It is now waiting for an accreditation certificate from the RoK before beginning the vaccination.

According to the official, the
vaccination is in line with the Government’s Resolution No. 21/NQ-CP on the purchase
and use of vaccines, which details nine priority groups for free
inoculation.

Besides these groups, pandemic-hit localities will also be prioritised and Hai
Duong province will be one of the first provinces and cities to get access to the vaccine.

According to the Resolution, individuals
and organisations are also encouraged to voluntarily pay for vaccine shots.

When more vaccines are available, the
Government is ready to expand inoculation for all having demand to achieve community immunisation.

As scheduled, another batch of AstraZeneca vaccine along with
COVAX Facility vaccine will be delivered in late April. The ministry has prepared infrastructure
and resources for storage and vaccination, he said./.