Ministry of Health urgently approves 7th Covid-19 vaccine for circulation in Vietnam

The approved vaccine is called Hayat-Vax, each 0.5ml dose contains 6.5 units of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 antigen (vero cells).

This vaccine is produced by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products under the China National Biotec Group, and then packaged and shipped by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Thus, this is a Sinopharm vaccine from China, transferred technology, and packaged in the UAE.

The Ministry of Health granted the license based on the approval request of the importing company and the safety, quality and effectiveness data provided by the company up to September 3.

The Ministry of Health requested the Drug Administration to grant import licenses forVaccineHayat - Vax as prescribed upon receipt of the import facility's documents.

Vinh City General Hospital deploys vaccination for frontline forces. Photo courtesy of Thanh Chung

The Department of Science, Technology and Training is responsible for selecting a qualified unit to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of vaccines based on the advice of the Ministry of Health's Advisory Council on the Use of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals during use.

The Department of Preventive Medicine is responsible for receiving, preserving, distributing and using vaccines. The National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals is responsible for conducting inspections and issuing Certificates of Release of Hayat-Vax vaccine batches before they are put into use.

Vaccine importers must coordinate with the Ministry of Health to manage risks to Hayat-Vax vaccine during its circulation in Vietnam.

This is the 7th Covid-19 vaccine licensed by the Ministry of Health, after AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

As of September 10, Vietnam has received about 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from various companies, of which 26 million doses have been vaccinated. Vietnam has 2.7 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine alone, of which 2 million doses have been ordered, and is currently being vaccinated in many provinces and cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Hai Phong, Hanoi, etc.