Additional 1.18 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Vietnam

The latest COVID-19 vaccine shipment from COVAX

Dr Kidong Park, the Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Vietnam, said, “COVID-19 vaccines are lifesaving tools, but with a limited supply, prioritising the most vulnerable is the most optimal way to save lives. As we face the surge in cases, we need to accelerate and ramp up our efforts in vaccinating the health workers, the elderly, and those with underlying conditions to protect them from severe illness and death.”

Lesley Miller, UNICEF Deputy Representative, added, “It is critical that priority groups, including health and social workers and teachers, are vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to ensure that children are able to return safely to school and get the preventive health services they need.”

Among 8,681,300 doses of COVID-19 vaccines delivered to Vietnam through the COVAX Facility, 5,000,100 doses are Moderna vaccine from the US Government and 3,681,200 doses are AstraZeneca. The COVAX Facility is co-led by the WHO, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI), GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF as the key delivery partner.

To date, over 6.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Vietnam, among them 659,064 second doses. The additional vaccines will help the Ministry of Health expand coverage and reach more people from priority groups, contributing to attaining the country’s target of vaccinating more than 70 per cent of its population by the end of the first quarter of 2022.

The limited global supply of COVID-19 vaccines affects the vaccination rollout in many countries. As many people remain unvaccinated, it is essential to continue the 5K: wear mask, practice physical distancing, sanitise, and avoid closed and crowded settings.

The latest shipment of Vaxzevria vaccines (previously called COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) was developed jointly by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. This batch is shipped from Laboratorio Univesal Farma, a manufacturing facility in Spain. The Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine has received the Emergency Use Authorization from the WHO and has been used successfully in Vietnam since March 2021 under its previous name.

From 6.30pm of August 1 to 6am of August 2, Vietnam recorded over 3,200 new infections, including nearly 2,000 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, 496 in Binh Duong, 189 in Dong Nai, 119 in Can Tho, and 79 in Tien Giang.

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