Vietnam will receive about 1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine via the COVID-19 Vaccines 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 COVID-19 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.