PM Pham Minh Chinh and other officials during the phone talk with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla. Photo: VGP

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has proposed Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla help accelerate the delivery of 22 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 in Vietnam in the coming days, with a goal of completing the contract in April or May at the latest.

Talking to Bourla over the phone on February 15 evening, Chinh said that this move will help protect children’s health and effectively carry out the safe reopening of schools, VietnamPlus said.

This is the second talks between the Vietnamese Government head and Pfizer’s leader since the fourth wave of Covid-19 broke out in Vietnam in late April.

Chinh said that Vietnam recently imported Pfizer’s vaccine to inject on children aged between 12 and 17, making them safer and more secure when going back to school. To date, nearly 96% of the children in this age group have received the first jab, and nearly 90% the second.

A medical worker holds a vial of the Pfizer vaccine in HCMC, October 27, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

He also thanked and appreciated Pfizer and Chairman Bourla personally for coordinating with the Vietnamese side to complete the supply of 51 million doses, as requested during their previous phone call in August.

With the close cooperation of Pfizer and the timely supply of vaccines from countries, including the US, Vietnam has successfully implemented a rapid vaccination strategy, and transitioned to a strategy of flexibly and safely adapting to and effectively controlling Covid-19 so as to restore production activities and promote economic recovery.

For his part, Bourla affirmed that he will make every effort to speed up the implementation of the contract on supplying the vaccine for children from 5 to under 12 years old for Vietnam in the coming weeks as soon as possible. He also stated that Pfizer can cooperate with Vietnam in transferring technology to produce drugs to treat Covid-19.

On this occasion, PM Chinh invited the Pfizer leader to Vietnam as a guest of the Prime Minister to discuss and promote a long-term bilateral cooperation plan.

Students receive COVID-19 vaccine shots at a high school in the northern province of Phu Tho in late November 2021. Photo:VNA

According to VnExpress, more than 20 countries have vaccinated children 5-11 years old, including the US, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Italy, Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the UAE.

Brazil approved the Covid-19 vaccine for children 5-11 on a voluntary basis on Jan. 5.

A report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last December said children from 5-11 years old rarely have serious side effects after vaccination. Myocarditis, a side effect of Pfizer vaccination in some adolescents and adults, "appears rare" among young children, it said./.

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