About 50 million doses of Pfizer vaccine will arrive in Vietnam in the fourth quarter
Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that in the fourth quarter, the number of Covid-19 vaccines will increase, with Pfizer alone receiving about 47-50 million doses.
In addition to about 50 million Pfizer doses arriving in the fourth quarter, vaccines from other sources will also arrive, but the specific plan is unclear.
Currently, more than 420,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine have arrived in Vietnam, distributed by the Ministry of Health to localities for vaccination. Pfizer vaccine is also allowed by the Ministry of Health to be used for the second injection for people who have received the first injection of AstraZeneca vaccine if supply is scarce and according to the choice of the vaccinated person.
To date, Vietnam has received more than 17.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including those from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik-V, and Sinopharm. Of these, more than 16 million doses have been distributed by the Ministry of Health in 16 batches to localities and units. One million doses of Sinopharm vaccine, purchased by a business authorized by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, arrived in the city on July 31.
In the third quarter alone, according to the Ministry of Health, it will receive about 30 million doses, and has already received nearly 14 million doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Sinopharm. Vaccine sources come from VNVC's purchase contract with AstraZeneca, the Ministry of Health's purchase from Pfizer, Ho Chi Minh City's purchase from Sinopharm, and the Covax supply mechanism, and gifts from the governments of Japan, the US, and China.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at an online meeting of provinces and cities on the morning of August 2,In the third quarter, the number of vaccines arriving was not much, however, localities must speed up vaccination immediately.Places with limited vaccine stocks must still speed up the vaccination process to learn from experience and prepare for the upcoming vaccine batches. The principle is "inject any vaccine that is available, do not choose which vaccine to use", because all vaccines licensed by the Ministry of Health are licensed by the World Health Organization and used by other countries.
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The Minister assessed that the vaccination rate in some localities was slow, and some places were too cautious, only organizing vaccinations at hospitals. He requested that there be no limit on vaccination points, no limit on the number of vaccinations in a session, and that the waiting time after vaccination would vary depending on the locality's decision. In locked-down areas, vaccinations must be organized immediately.
Early screening, pre-screening of groups of people registering for vaccination to classify and assign vaccination sites appropriate to people's health status.
"Localities must plan vaccination as quickly as possible but must ensure safety," Mr. Long said.
As of the morning of August 2, nearly 6.5 million doses of vaccine had been administered to frontline workers and people nationwide, of which nearly 660,000 people had received two doses.
7 provinces have deployed vaccinations reaching over 70% of the allocated doses, including: Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Binh Phuoc, Kon Tum, Hai Duong, Dak Nong, and Ha Nam.
Vietnam aims to achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021 or early 2022, with about 70% of the population vaccinated against Covid-19.