First batch of AstraZeneca vaccine arrives in Vietnam this morning

The vaccine has been developed by British-Swedish company AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University and is imported by Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC).

The first batch of 117,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, which is among the 204,000 doses approved for import in February, has arrived in Vietnam earlier than expected. The doses will be sent to the cold storage systems of VNVC and AstraZeneca. Therefore, the plan for COVID-19 vaccination will be implemented from March this year.

According to the Ministry of Health, the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine will be prioritised medical workers and officials participating in COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. They are among the 11 groups of subjects prioritised to have access to the vaccine this year.

“There is a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the world, even in big countries like the US or in Europe. The import of COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam is the result of great efforts from the Ministry of Health, VNVC and AstraZeneca,” said Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of VNVC.

After the arrival of the first batch of vaccines, VNVC will continue to bring 30 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam in the first half of 2021. Priority groups and people in Vietnam will be officially vaccinated with high quality COVID-19 vaccine such as in Europe and many large countries in the world, contributing to controlling the pandemic and gradually restoring the economy.

Along with the efforts to import vaccines, domestic enterprises are “racing” to produce “made in Vietnam” vaccines. Today (February 24), the Military Medical Academy will commence screening for 50 to 100 volunteers participating in the second phase of the Nano Covax vaccine clinical trial. The first test injections of Nano Covax in the second phase are scheduled for February 26.