The Ministry of Health said on March 24 it has received a letter of confirmation from COVAX Facility, explaining the vaccine delivery would be slower than planned as manufacturers have scaled up and optimized vaccine production.
COVAX Facility, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation, has pledged to distribute free of charge 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam this year.
Vietnam has also reached a deal with AstraZeneca to purchase an additional 30 million doses this year. The first batch of 117,600 doses arrived in late February and they are being used for the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
However, the delivery plan may be partly delayed to next year, said the Ministry of Health (MoH).
The MoH on March 23 approved Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in Vietnam. Sputnik V is the second vaccine licensed for use in Vietnam after AstraZeneca.
The MoH-run Centre for Immunization Vaccine has been assigned to negotiate a deal with the Russian manufacturer of the Sputnik V vaccine.
The MoH report on March 24 says there is no specific plan for the supply of the Sputnik V vaccine in 2021.
Vietnam needs approximately 150 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to vaccinate its people. However, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long earlier said alongside 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, his ministry was trying to negotiate to purchase an additional 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
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