400,000 doses of vaccines donated by Australia reached Việt Nam, more to come

A consignment of 403,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines donated by the Australian Government via COVAX Facility arrived in Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, HCM City, late Thursday.

The delivery of these doses is first tranche of the country’s commitment to share 1.5 million doses to Việt Nam within 2021, said Australian foreign minister Marise Payne.

The doses arrived as Việt Nam was responding to a surge in cases, she said, adding that “Australia and Việt Nam are strong, strategic partners with shared interests in maintaining a stable Indo-Pacific.”

Australian ambassador to Việt Nam Robyn Mudie added in a video message: “These doses will boost Việt Nam’s national vaccine rollout, and will help with efforts to ensure that everyone living in Việt Nam is able to receive vaccines as soon as possible.

“These doses have arrived at a critical point in Việt Nam’s efforts to control the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, as case numbers surge to levels that were unimaginable just a few months ago.”

The ambassador added that the embassy was working to bringing the rest of the 1.5 million doses contribution to Việt Nam as soon as possible.

The vaccine doses are in addition to Australia’s AUD$40 million package of vaccine-related assistance for Việt Nam, which includes assistance to help procure more doses through agreement with UNICEF, strengthening vaccine delivery (especially cold chain upgrades, immunisation planning and rollout in remote localities), training for health workers and officials, immunisation and regulatory policy strengthening through technical assistance from Australian experts.

“As a strong partner and friend, Australia is committed to supporting Việt Nam’s ongoing health response and economic recovery,” the diplomat remarked.