Vietnam accelerates efforts to secure adequate COVID-19 vaccine supplies: Scholar

Vietnam is accelerating efforts to secure adequate vaccine supplies amidst a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the country. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is accelerating efforts tosecure adequate vaccine supplies amidst a resurgence of COVID-19 infections inthe country, said Dr Le Hong Hiep, a Senior Fellow at Singapore-based ISEAS –Yusof Ishak Institute, in a commentary published on fulcrum.sg on June 8.

Hiep said one of the reasons behind Vietnam’s low rate ofCOVID-19 vaccination was that the country suffers from the global shortage ofvaccine supply, like most of developing countries.

Although the Vaccine Corporation Vietnam (VNVC) placed anorder for 30 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine in 2020, the supply from thisarrangement has so far remained limited, he said, so is the vaccine supply forthe country under the COVAX Facility.

The scale and serious effects of the fourth wave haveforced the Vietnamese government to accelerate vaccination as a crucial,fundamental and long-term strategy to overcome the pandemic. Great efforts havebeen made within a short period of time to secure as much vaccine supply aspossible.

Rather than holding the government’s monopoly overvaccine import, Vietnam has encouraged all relevant stakeholders, especiallyprivate companies and foreign investors, to help acquire vaccines for thecountry.

On June 5, an initiative was officially launched by thegovernment to raise 1.1 billion USD from the public and the business communityto cover the cost of the vaccination programme. The initiative has attractedmore than 250 million USD in pledged donations after only a few days.

At the international level, Vietnam has worked activelythrough diplomatic channels to secure more vaccine supplies. For example, theUnited States has decided to donate to Vietnam 500,000 doses of COVID-19vaccines. Japan is also reportedly preparing to donate vaccines to Vietnam.

Thanks to these efforts, the Ministry of Health announcedon June 3 that Vietnam had secured commitments by relevant suppliers to provide120 million doses within 2021, including from Moderna (5 million doses),Sputnik V (20 million doses), AstraZeneca (30 million doses), Pfizer (31million doses), and the COVAX Facility (38.9 million doses).

Vietnam is also in talks with Russian partners to produceSputnik V vaccines in the country. With the NanoCovax vaccine entering phase-3trials soon, there is a hope that Vietnam will also benefit from domesticsources./.

VNA