Ministry of Health issues fake vaccine warning

The Ministry of Health has warned against fake invitations to register for COVID-19 vaccine shots

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), some organisations and individuals claimed to have access to vaccine manufacturers or surplus vaccines. People also received invitations to apply for COVID-19 vaccination through various forms of advertising.

Therefore, the MoH warned people to be wary of invitations to register for vaccination on social networks, messages, leaflets, and other forms of advertising.

The ministry also recommended that localities, organisations, and businesses wishing to import vaccines need to contact and negotiate directly with vaccine manufacturers. In case of intermediaries, the source must be confirmed or authorised by the manufacturer.

Besides, vaccines used in Vietnam must be licensed by the MoH. Each batch of vaccine, when imported to Vietnam, must be licensed for circulation by the Drug Administration of Vietnam and the MoH.

Before use, imported batches of vaccines must be inspected by the National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals to meet quality standards and issue a factory certificate. All vaccines must be stored in a cold chain system.

At present, the MoH is actively negotiating with manufacturers and international organisations to buy and import large quantities of vaccines to organise vaccination for all citizens. Vaccines will be given free of charge, so the ministry has bidden people to remain calm and wait for inoculation.

Vietnam has urgently approved three COVID-19 vaccines of AstraZeneca (UK), Sputnik V (Russia), and Sinopharm (China). Plus, the government started implementing the COVID-19 vaccination campaign from March 8, with the vaccine of AstraZeneca. To date, a total of 1,389,887, doses were injected, with 47,179 individuals having received two full doses.