VN to get 5M doses of COVAX vaccines in Q1

About one third of the total doses will be delivered before the end of March and the remaining in the second quarter, according to an official from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Viet Nam is among 190 participants of the COVAX Facility and one of countries getting the initial vaccine rollout, said Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong, Director of the WHO’s Division of Programs for Disease Control.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health approved the use of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine under the COVAX scheme.

Especially, vaccine allocation will prioritize some groups including medical workers who involve in disease prevention and treatment and those in front-line jobs.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine was tasked to craft a plan on vaccine allocation.

In addition, Viet Nam has already ordered 30 doses for vaccination services.

On the other hand, four domestic vaccines have been developed in the country. Especially, Nanogen and IVAC vaccines have entered human trials. Nanocovax has finalized the first phase of human trials and will launch the second one after Tet holiday (with over 400-560 volunteers). Meanwhile, volunteers are being recruited for IVAC vaccine.

Viet Nam confirmed 2,005 SARS-CoV-2 infections so far. Of the total, 1,115 are locally-transmitted cases, with 422 detected since the latest coronavirus outbreak hit the nation on January 27.

In a bid to live safely with the pandemic, people have been asked to follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering) and khai bao y te (health declaration)./.

By Khanh Phuong