Vietnam will continue to seek vaccine sources to diversify the supplies, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has said.
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Speaking at the ministry’s regular press conference, held online on June 10, Hang said Vietnam will also step up the research and transfer of vaccine production technology, towards maximising vaccination coverage.
She cited the Government’s target of administering COVID-19 vaccines to about 75 percent of the national population, soon reaching herd immunity and bringing people’s lives to normal.
Vietnamese competent agencies will publicise agreements on vaccine purchase, import and donation, as well as vaccine production technology transfer, the spokeswoman affirmed.
Over the past time, the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs, and Vietnamese representative offices abroad have made every effort in negotiating and mobilising foreign governments, international organisations, and vaccine producers and suppliers so that Vietnam would acquire more COVID-19 vaccines, Hang said.
Vietnam has so far received around 2.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility, along with commitments to donating and supplying vaccines from a number of countries, international organisations and producers, she added.
Regarding US President Joe Biden’s plan to buy 500 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to donate to other countries, Hang said Vietnam welcomes the US’s vaccine sharing strategy to allocate the first 25 million doses to the world, including Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations.
Given the complex developments of the pandemic, Vietnam wishes that countries and international organisations will promote the spirit of solidarity and the sense of responsibility, and enhance the sharing of technological, financial and medical information, especially vaccine, to drive back the pandemic, Hang stressed.
She also informed the press about the health ministry’s issuance of a decision on June 3 on the conditional approval of COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, including Vero Cell Inactivated vaccines produced by Beijing Institute of Biological Products of China./.
VNA
