Vietnamese Government issues resolution on COVID-19 vaccine purchase, use

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Under the resolution, the Ministry of Health is assigned to coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies, and localities in purchasing, importing, managing, and using COVID-19 vaccines as well as receiving aid in this regard, with about 150 million doses expected this year.

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Vietnam on February 24. Photo: VNA

The Resolution specifies priority groups and areas subject to free vaccination as follows:

For priority groups:

+ Front liners: Healthcare workers, those who join COVID-19 prevention and control work (members of steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control at all levels, staff at designated quarantine sites, those who carry out contract tracing and epidemiological investigations, volunteers, reporters among others), military and public security forces.

+ Vietnamese diplomats, customs and immigration officers.

+ Essential service workers in sectors such as aviation, transport, tourism, electricity and water supply, etc.

+ Teachers and those who work at education and training facilities, those who work at State agencies and have regular contact with various people.

+ People with chronic illnesses, people aged above 65.

+ Residents in pandemic-hit areas.

+ Poor people, policy beneficiaries.

+ Those who will be sent abroad for learning and working.

+ Other people decided by the Ministry of Health depending on the COVID-19 situation.

For priority areas:

Priority will be given to the pandemic-hit provinces and cities.

In a locality, those in the pandemic-hit areas will be vaccinated first.

Local budget funds will be used to ensure the vaccination of local residents and others under local management. The central budget will be used to guarantee injections for people under the management of centrally-run agencies and to support localities, Vietnamplus reported.

Apart from the State budget, the funding for vaccine purchase will also be sourced from aid from domestic and foreign organizations and other legal sources, along with voluntarily funding from organizations and individuals.

The resolution took effect on the date of issuance.

Seven batches of Covid-19 vaccines set to arrive in Vietnam by 2022

A health worker opens a box containing the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in France. Photo: AFP.

Vietnam is expected to receive seven batches of Covid-19 vaccines with a total number of 150 million doses. The vaccines would come from the AstraZeneca, Covax program, and domestic producers.

The first batch including 117,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Vietnam on February 24. This amount of vaccine will be given to frontline workers against Covid-19, members of the steering committee on Covid-19 prevention and control at all levels, those working at quarantine facilities, those participating in contact tracing, epidemiological investigations.

The second batch including 1.5 million doses is expected to arrive in the first and second quarters. 1.2 million doses of which are supplied by Covax and 363,000 by AstraZeneca. Frontline workers against Covid-19, diplomatic personnel, customs and immigration officers, military forces will receive the vaccines.

The third batch consisting of 8.2 million doses which Vietnam will purchase from AstraZeneca. It is expected to arrive in the second quarter. The military forces yet to be vaccinated from the second batch, police force, teachers, people aged 80 and above will be inoculated.

The fourth batch including 10.9 million doses from Covax (3.6 million) and AstraZeneca (7.32 million) is scheduled to arrive in the third quarter. People aged 80 and above yet to be vaccinated from the third batch, those working in essential services, and those with chronic diseases will get the vaccines.

The fifth batch including 14.4 million doses from AstraZeneca, is expected to arrive in the fourth quarter of 2021 or the first quarter of 2022. Those with chronic diseases yet to be vaccinated from the fourth batch will be administered.

The sixth batch including 25.2 million doses provided by Covax, is expected to arrive in the fourth quarter of 2021 or the first quarter of 2022. Those with chronic diseases yet to be vaccinated from the third, fourth and fifth batches along with people aged between 65 and 80 will be injected.

The final batch comprising 90.5 million doses from both foreign and domestic producers would arrive between the fourth quarter and second quarter of 2022. They would be administered to those aged between 65 and 80 who have not been vaccinated in the sixth batch and those aged 18 and above not included in the aforementioned priority list.

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