Vaccines, drug, awareness – key to living safely with COVID-19

A batch of COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V arrives in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has shifted itsstrategy from “zero COVID-19” to safely and flexibly adaptation to andeffectively containment of the pandemic, under which ensuring vaccines for allpeople is one of the main goals.

COVID-19 vaccines and treatment drugs are the keyand the prerequisite to help Vietnam live safely with the coronavirus, saidDeputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency(VNA), Vu, who is also deputy head of the government’s working group onCOVID-19 vaccine diplomacy, highlighted the timely establishment of the workinggroup, which is important in stepping up the vaccine strategy and ensuring quickaccess to vaccine sources.  

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu (Photo: VNA)

Since its inception, the working group has improved thecoordination of different channels and at different levels in vaccinediplomacy, resulting in more vaccine delivered to Vietnam, according to theofficial.

Vu further explained that Vietnam had about 16million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in August, and 54 million last month, sayingthe country expects to get more doses this month, enough to cover the majorityof its population.

The biggest difficulty in ensuring vaccines forVietnam’s population of nearly 100 million as soon as possible lies in thelimited supply, he said.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends a hand-over ceremony of COVID-19 vaccine and medial supplies. (Photo: VNA) 

Vu, however, said with its prestige and position inthe international arena, a wide network of friends and partners, and its rolein the global supply change, Vietnam has been receiving support from manycountries in this regard.

During the first stage of the pandemic, Vietnam alsohelped international friends with masks and medical supplies, which has beenappreciated by the international community. The international support toVietnam now, therefore, is part of the returns.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Vu has high hope on Vietnam’s access to moreCOVID-19 vaccine sources in the time ahead, saying the focus in the time aheadshould be on implementing vaccine purchase agreements between Vietnam andpartners and vaccine producers in the world.

He also suggested promoting and materialisingcooperation possibilities in the transfer of production technologies ofCOVID-19 vaccines.

Apart from vaccines and drug treatments, Vietnam needsto intensify the communication work to raise public awareness of long-termadaptation to COVID-19, encouraging them to observe pandemic prevention andcontrol measures in the new normal, he said./.

VNA