Vietnam receives extra 3 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses from US via COVAX
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam receives additional 3,000,060
doses of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine donated through the COVAX Facility by the United
States Government, of which, 1,499,960 arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on July 24
and 1,500,100 doses will arrive in Hanoi the next day.
This is the second batch of Moderna vaccine to be delivered to the
country this month, bringing the total donation from the US Government to Vietnam
to more than five million doses, according to UNICEF Vietnam.
To date, Vietnam has received 7,493,300 doses of COVID-19
vaccines in four shipments through the COVAX Facility, the global risk-sharing
mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of COVID-19
vaccines. They include 5,000,100 doses of Moderna vaccine from the US
Government and 2,493,200 doses of AstraZeneca.
Since the arrival of the first shipment of vaccines from the
COVAX Facility in early April, close to 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have
been administered in Vietnam, among them 353,601 second doses. The additional
vaccines will help the Ministry of Health to expand coverage and reach more
people from priority groups, contributing to attaining the country’s target of
vaccinating more than 70 percent of population by the end of the first quarter
of 2022.
“These vaccines arrive at a critical time for Vietnam as the
country experiences its fourth and most devastating wave of COVID-19,” said UNICEF
Vietnam Acting Representative Lesley Miller. “The doses donated by the US
Government through COVAX will boost Vietnam’s vaccination campaign to protect
health staff, frontline workers, the elderly and other priority groups defined
by the Government.”
The COVAX Facility is co-led by the World Health
Organization (WHO), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI),
GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF as the key delivery partner. The donated
vaccines are provided through the COVAX dose-sharing mechanism, which allows
well-supplied countries to share vaccine doses with other countries to help
protect the most at-risk populations globally. The vaccines will contribute to
the aim of reaching 20 percent coverage in low- and middle-income countries, as
part of the Phase 1 vaccine allocation.
For several months, COVAX partners, WHO, CEPI, GAVI and
delivery partner UNICEF, have been supporting the Government of Vietnam in
readiness efforts and the national rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. They have been
especially active in developing a National Vaccination Plan, as Vietnam is
benefiting from the Advance Market Commitment (AMC), an innovative financial
mechanism to help secure global and equitable access for COVID-19 vaccines./.