Six million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines – half from the UK’s AstraZeneca and half from the US’s – will arrive in Vietnam in the third quarter of this year. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Six million more doses of COVID-19
vaccines – half from the UK’s and half from the US’s Pfizer – will
arrive in Vietnam in the third quarter of this year, the Ministry of Health
announced on June 15.
Vietnam will receive about 1 million doses of AstraZeneca
vaccine via the Global Access (COVAX) Facility sometime
between late June and early July, said Prof. Dang Duc Anh, Director of the
National Institute of Epidemiology and Hygiene (NIHE).
The vaccine will be offered to industrial park workers
and priority groups detailed in the Government’s Decree 21, including frontline
workers, diplomats, customs officers, teachers, among others.
Another shipment of 2 million doses of AstraZeneca
vaccine, imported by the Ministry of Health from the UK-based pharmaceutical
company through the Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC), is due to arrive in the country
by the end of September.
Meanwhile, Pfizer announced it will ship 3 million of
coronavirus vaccine to Vietnam within the third quarter. It, however, also
noted that the time of shipment and the number of doses provided to Vietnam may
be subject to change.
Anh said COVAX-supplied vaccines have been distributed to
63 cities and provinces and several units of the ministries of National Defence
and Public Security. More than 200,000 doses have been delivered to the
pandemic-hit provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang to give to industrial park
workers.
Vietnam has been accelerating its vaccine
vaccination efforts. The country targets to secure around 150 million doses
this year to inoculate at least 70-80 percent of its population, in order to
achieve herd immunity.
So far, the country has received nearly 2.9 million doses
of AstraZeneca vaccine from four shipments./.
Source: VietnamPlus
