Vientiane (VNA) - Some 150,000 medical workers in Laos will receive vaccination against COVID-19 in March and April, using 300,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China.

According to Head of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion under Lao Ministry of Health Phonepaseuth Ounaphom, this vaccination programme is part of the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control plan that the local health authorities are working hard to implement.

People in high-risk groups between the ages of 18 and 60 will also be given priority in this plan, including medical personnel, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, and migrant workers.

The Lao Ministry of Health hopes to vaccinate 20 percent of its population against COVID-19 by the end of this year. The rate is expected to increase to 50 percent of the population by 2022 and 70 percent by 2023.

Development partners of Laos have pledged to provide vaccines for the Southeast Asian country in accordance with its demand.

The Lao authorities also consider buying more vaccines made in Germany, Japan and other countries after these vaccines are approved by regulatory authorities. The country also expects to get COVID-19 vaccine supplied via the global procurement mechanism of COVAX initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

On March 2, Cambodia received a batch of 324,000 COVID-19 doses produced by India as part of the COVAX initiative.

The country began its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on February 10 after receiving the first batch of vaccine from China  National  Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd (Sinopharm)./.