The Vero Cell vaccine. HCMC wants to share the Vero Cell vaccine with other localities in need - PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The HCMC government has asked the Ministry of Health for permission to share five million doses of China’s Vero Cell Covid-19 vaccine with other provinces in need.

In a document sent to the Ministry of Health to clarify some issues relating to the Vero Cell vaccine as required by the ministry on August 6, the city said the five million vaccine doses had been donated to it by Van Thinh Phat Group, the local media reported.

The group would cover other related fees.

As the pandemic has been raging in many parts of the country, the city wants to share the vaccine with others.

The city also explained the introduction of the Saigon Pharmaceutical Company (Sapharco) to buy the Vero Cell vaccine and proposal that the Ministry of Health should commit to exempting the responsibility of the Chinese vaccine producer.

Accordingly, the HCMC government cited the Government Office’s document 3988/VPCP-KGVX dated June 15, 2021, on the purchase and use of Covid-19 vaccines in HCMC to state that the Government had approved the city’s proposal to import the Covid-19 vaccines.

Based on this, the city assigned Sapharco, which is a wholly State-owned enterprise and one of the 36 companies allowed to import Covid-19 vaccines, to negotiate and sign contracts to buy the Vero Cell vaccine.

Sapharco later signed contracts with the China National Biotec Group Company Limited, the China Sinopharm International Corporation, the Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. and the Sinopharm International Hong Kong Limited.

Therefore, the city proposed the Ministry of Health exempt the responsibility of the Vero Cell vaccine producer as suggested by Sapharco and a representative office of the China National Pharmaceutical Foreign Trade Corporation in Hanoi like other Covid-19 vaccines that Vietnam had imported.

According to the HCMC government, the responsibility exemption is in line with international practices for all Covid-19 vaccines in the world.

The Chinese side will be responsible for the storage and transport of the vaccine before it is handed over to Sapharco.

The HCMC government will assign the municipal Department of Health to draw up a plan to distribute and administer the vaccine in line with the Ministry of Health’s regulations and instructions.