Government leader requests accelerated COVID-19 vaccination, drug production

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting on December 5 with ministries, sectors, and relevant sides to discuss COVID-19 vaccine and drug development, production technology transfer, and import.

The Ministry of Health reported that Vietnam has received and is set to receive about 211 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines under purchase and assistance agreements by the end of 2021, including over 150 million doses already delivered by late December 3.

The country is transferring development technologies and testing several vaccines, including Nanocovax, COVIVAC, ARCT-154, HIPRA, Sputnik V, Shionogi, and others of Cuba and India.

At the same time, the research on COVID-19 drugs has been carried out since 2020, the ministry said, noting that six domestic factories have applied for licence to produce COVID-19 drugs with manufacturing capacity totaling at least 1 million doses per day. If permitted, they are able to meet the domestic demand for Molnupiravir for treatment.

Participants in the meeting looked into the vaccine demand and supply, the vaccination for each group, the demand for COVID-19 drugs and production capacity, related difficulties, and mechanisms for vaccine and drug import and production to serve the pandemic fight.

Prime Minister Chinh stressed that the vaccine strategy has proved fruitful, with 94 percent of the target group given at least one dose of vaccine and 69 percent the second dose.

Relevant agencies have to strive to have all people aged 18 and above fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 15.

He pointed out the need to make a roadmap for administering the third dose of vaccine, firstly to those aged 50 and above, priority groups, and others as requested by each locality. The vaccination for people aged 12 - 18 should also be accelerated.

Regarding COVID-19 drugs, the PM asked the Health Ministry to assist domestic producers and create the best possible conditions for the manufacturing for the sake of people’s health.