AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines batches arrive at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, HCM City, on August 26. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A further 2,016,460 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in three shipments at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City.

Two shipments – 92,160 and 1,348,000 doses – arrived on Monday, and the latest shipment of 576,000 doses arrived Wednesday morning.

This is part of Việt Nam’s 30-million-dose deal with AstraZeneca via Việt Nam Vaccine Company (VNVC).

After 15 shipments, VNVC has received 10.1 million doses of AstraZeneca, 34 per cent of the order.

The batches have been moved into VNVC’s cold storage for quality controls before being handed over to the health ministry for distribution.

In the past nine weeks, the delivery has been consistent with a shipment of about one million per week, and this week saw the largest tranche of the vaccines arrive.

Customs authorities on Wednesday also said that an additional 300,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines, out of Việt Nam's order for 51 million doses to be fulfilled within this year, arrived this morning in Hà Nội and HCM City on DHL cargo planes.

To date, Việt Nam has received about 29.5 million shots of COVID-19 vaccine, mostly AstraZeneca, which accounts for 62 per cent of the national stockpile.

According to the National COVID-19 vaccine portal, 20.25 million jabs have been administered in the country.

Second doses plan

The health ministry today also sent a dispatch to hospitals and local health authorities across the country asking them to set up plans for administering second doses for people who have received their first doses, right when the vaccine batches are distributed.

The health ministry’s guidelines currently do not allow mixing and matching of vaccines, except for administering Pfizer as second shot for those who have AstraZeneca as first dose when there is a shortage, and they must consent to the injection.

These cases must be reported to the health ministry in a separate record form outside of the daily vaccination report.

Moderna vaccines or other types cannot be used as second jab for those who have received AstraZeneca as the first jab, the ministry said. — VNS