At a conference on January 29, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long shared that the British pharmaceutical company has pledged to provide Vietnam with 30 million doses in 2021 and the first batch will be available for inoculation in the first quarter.
He added that the MOH is also actively negotiating with Pfizer, Moderna and several other manufacturers to secure more vaccines for Vietnam.
Among vaccines produced by local companies, Nanogen has completed the first phase of clinical trials for its Nanocovax vaccine and the second phase is scheduled to start in early February.
Phase I of the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC)’s Covivax vaccine is expected to conclude in late February and Phase II will commence in March.
In Hai Duong Province, the epicentre of the latest outbreak, two field hospitals with a total of 500 beds were put into use on January 29, one at the Chi Linh Healthcare Centre and another at the Hai Duong Medical Technical University.
Another one is expected to be set up at the Hai Duong Sports Centre.
In Dong Trieu Town, in the neighbouring province of Quang Ninh, two quarantine facilities were also established to receive those in close contact with confirmed Covid-19 patients.
Earlier, Quang Ninh authorities locked down a commune adjacent to Hai Duong after several residents tested positive for the new variant of Sars-Cov-2, as the virus is technically known.
As a fallout of the latest outbreak, the northern province of Vinh Phuc decided to cancel the Lunar New Year fireworks display and suspend the organisation of major spring festival celebrations in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, the ministry has prepared for the scenario where 10,000 people are infected with Covid-19 and efforts are being made so that this outbreak can be contained within ten days before the start of the Lunar New Year.
He noted that contact-tracing is extremely important; the faster contact-tracing is, the more effectively the spread of the virus is prevented.
