The World Bank and the State Bank of Việt Nam on Thursday signed a US$6.2 million grant agreement to help Việt Nam cope with COVID-19. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

 HÀ NỘI — The World Bank and the State Bank of Việt Nam on Thursday signed a US$6.2 million grant agreement to strengthen Việt Nam’s COVID-19 surveillance and testing capacities, research capacity for COVID-19 vaccines and test kits, and communications about the pandemic.
“The COVID-19 situation in Việt Nam is evolving quickly,” said Stefanie Stallmeister, Acting Country Director for the World Bank in Việt Nam.
 “This emergency operation will not only support the government to quickly monitor and respond to COVID-19 but also contribute to building a resilient health system for future health emergencies.”
The project will strengthen the capacity of laboratory systems at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and other lab systems nationwide by helping to improve the ability to evaluate community immunity to COVID-19.
The grant will also fund the provision of equipment to improve the capacity of the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (POLYVAC) for research and development of new vaccine and quick diagnostic tests.
The project is expected to support 200 laboratories involved in COVID-19 surveillance and testing in hospitals and provincial Centres for Disease Control nationwide. Support to NIHE and POLYVAC, Việt Nam’s leading public health and vaccine research and production institutions, will directly contribute to improving the country’s capacities to detect and respond to COVID-19. — VNS