The National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control on April 14 convened a meeting about the purchase plan of Covid-19 vaccine and trial progress of home-made Covid-19 vaccines chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.
Mr. Dam at the meeting
A representative of the Ministry of Health affirmed vaccine AstraZeneca is still safe; therefore, the country will speed up immunization for priority groups according to the government’s decree 21/NQ-CP on the usage of the vaccine.
Noticeably, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long announced that demand for Covid-19 vaccines in 2021 will far exceed supply; thus, Vietnam are racing against the clock to have the vaccine as soon as possible while there has been simultaneously new barriers in negotiations with vaccine manufacturers even risks.
In regard to clinical trial of locally-made Covid-19 vaccine, Lieutenant-General Do Quyet, Director of the Ministry of Defense’s Military Medical University, said the human trial’s second phase of Nano Covax vaccine developed by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Company will end on April 15 at the Military Medical Academy and in a medical facility in the Mekong Delta province of Long An’s Ben Luc District with the participation of Pasteur Institute.
Mr. Quyet said that 554 volunteers exhibited symptoms such as pain at the injection point, light fever, muscle aches, joint pain, and fatigue, but did not require medical intervention. They are in stable condition.
Highly appreciating the vaccine’s clinical trial, the steering board announced to accelerate clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine as well as create favorable conditions for domestic functional units during the process. Moreover, the country has planned to pour investment in manufacturing the vaccine once the test is successful.
The steering board requested all ministries, sectors and local administrations to direct medical facilities, schools, factories, supermarkets, traditional markets, and bus stations to raise their awareness of the disease and adopt preventative measures.
