A batch of 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Hà Nội's Nội Bài International Airport last month through COVAX Facility. Photo courtesy of UNICEF Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — Among COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy efforts, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has sent a letter addressed to World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, asking for priority to be given to Việt Nam in accessing COVID-19 vaccines in the next allocation round of the organisation.

In the letter, Chính wrote that he was happy to see co-operative initiatives that the director-general had agreed to during telephone talks on June 24 have been implemented effectively.

Thanks to support from WHO and other international partners, Việt Nam has been receiving millions of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility.

Chính wrote that Việt Nam is struggling with the fourth and toughest COVID-19 wave linked to the Delta variant.

PM Chính called on WHO to give Việt Nam priority in accessing COVID-19 vaccines in its next allocation round as soon as possible, and as much as possible.

He also expects more medical supplies and mRNA vaccine technology transfer from WHO to help Việt Nam overcome this hard time.

Việt Nam expects WHO to soon send a delegation of experts to assist the country in domestic vaccine research and production, Chính wrote.

In the face of a global vaccine shortage, the Vietnamese Government has rolled out a range of measures, including deployment of vaccine diplomacy activities, to acquire vaccines as much and as soon as possible to achieve herd immunity at the earliest.

Chính emphasised that Việt Nam strongly supported WHO’s role in promoting international co-operation in COVID-19 prevention and control as well as in ensuring equal access to COVID-19 examination, treatment and vaccines.

Last week, PM Chính had phone talks with Astra Zeneca’s Executive Director Pascal Soriot and Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla. The leaders of the two vaccine production groups confirmed their commitments in ensuring vaccine supply and speeding up vaccine delivery to Việt Nam.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh chaired a meeting with the Government’s working group on COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy.

The meeting focused on reviewing outcomes of the work in the recent past and set out urgent tasks with the aim of quickly accessing and acquiring vaccines, treatment drugs and medical supplies for the country. 

Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn, head of the working group, said Việt Nam has so far received about 23 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX Facility, other nations’ assistance, and under signed contracts.

In August and September, more vaccines will be delivered by partners. In addition to vaccines, many countries, international organisations and overseas Vietnamese have sent medical supplies and equipment to aid Viet Nam’s fight against the pandemic.

The minister proposed a series of measures to promote the mobilisation of the vaccine, treatment drugs and medical equipment in the future.

Members of the working group agreed that it is necessary to streamline related processes and procedures to suit the current situation of pandemic prevention and control.

Deputy PM Minh requested that the group make proposals to enhance Việt Nam's role and responsibility in the COVAX Facility, and assist domestic businesses in accessing production technologies of COVID-19 vaccines and treatment drugs.

He instructed the group to promptly tackle difficulties and obstacles related to procedures for the reception of medical supplies by partners and to speed up the access and negotiation for treatment drugs.

As of August 24, a total of 17,6467,353 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Việt Nam so far, with 15,725,040 people receiving the first shot and 1,922,313 getting the full two jabs. VNS