Russia has agreed to provide Vietnam with 20 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V this year. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Russia has agreed to provide Vietnamwith 20 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V this year, VietnameseMinister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on June 2.
The minister unveiled the information after aworking session with the Russian Direct Investment Fund regarding the COVID-19vaccine on the same day.
At the meeting, Long congratulated Russia on itssuccessful development of the vaccine, stressing that the Vietnamese Ministry ofHealth approved the Russian vaccine for use in Mach 2021.
Over the past time, the ministry has proactivelynegotiated with the Russian side to secure the vaccine as soon as possible toserve the country’s inoculation drive, according to the official.
To ensure vaccine security in the years to come, theministry has viewed cooperation in vaccine production and transfer of vaccine productiontechnologies as a crucial task.
Therefore, the ministry has assigned its units topromptly negotiate and reach consensus with partners in this regard, Longsaid.
The Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 (Vabiotech) is the ministry’s first unit to join handswith the Russia side and expects to begin bottle the Russian vaccine from July, with amonthly capacity of five million doses.
"This is an important step for Russia to transferits vaccine production technology to Vietnam in the coming time," he said.
Since May, the Ministry of Health and relevantministries and agencies have actively engaged in talks to get access to COVID-19vaccine sources, Long said, noting that his ministry is making every effort to secure more vaccines, thus bringing people’s lives to normal.
Although Vietnam is trying to get access to COVID-19vaccine sources to speed up its vaccination rollout at the earliest, the supplywill come under the roadmaps set by producers and distributors, as the country haseffectively adopted COVID-19 prevention and control measures, Long said./.
VNA
