PM urges strong measures to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine testing

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs a meeting of permanent Cabinet members (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on
December 21 asked vaccine research units to take strong measures, and suitable
and creative methods to speed up vaccine trials in the country.

Chairing a meeting of permanent Cabinet members, the PM asked relevant
agencies to create maximum conditions for domestic units to conduct research.
He assigned the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Ministry of Science
and Technology and authorized agencies in determining the vaccine production
capacity of domestic enterprises to take appropriate and timely support
measures.

He also requested using the funds for for the right purposes
and in an effective way.

The Ministry of Health should learn experience of countries around the world in
conducting vaccine clinical trials to speed up the testing of
NANOGEN’s Nanocovax vaccine in order to soon put it into use, while looking for foreign partners to cooperate in implementing
the phase-three clinical trial of the domestically produced vaccine, the Government leader noted.

Under
the direction and state management of the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Military
Medical University will coordinate with the Institute of Biotechnology under
the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and relevant agencies to build a
project to develop a vaccine research and development centre for prevention and
control of human infectious diseases, including a grade 3 or 4 biosafety
laboratory.

Regarding
the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines from other countries, the PM affirmed that a certain
volume of vaccines is needed to protect people’s health. He asked the Ministry
of Health to soon complete a project to determine the purchase of an
appropriate country’s vaccine, and search for more suppliers.

Amid the complicated developments of the pandemic
in the world and the region, PM Phuc stressed that raising vigilance is still
the most important measure to prevent and control the disease.

People nationwide should closely follow the message featuring 5K (in
Vietnamese) Khau trang (facemask) – Khu khuan (disinfection) – Khoang cach (distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration) in
order to live safely with the novel coronavirus in
‘new normal’, he said.

Meanwhile, agencies at all levels must prevent violations of quarantine regulations
from repeating and localities, especially big cities, need to enhance
inspections of pandemic prevention and control./.