1.2 mln AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrive in Vietnam

The Vaxzevria vaccine batch was delivered from a manufacturing plant in Spain and is now stored at the National Institute of Hygiene And Epidemiology in Hanoi.

"As we face the surge of cases, we need to accelerate and ramp up our efforts in vaccinating the health workers, the elderly and those with underlying conditions," said Kidong Park, the WHO Representative for Vietnam, a UNICEF press release stated.

Lesley Miller, the UNICEF Deputy Representative, said: "It is critical that priority groups, including health and social workers and teachers, are vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to ensure that children are able to return safely to school."

So far, Covax has provided Vietnam over 8.6 million Covid-19 vaccine doses by AstraZeneca and Moderna.

Over three months into Vietnam's fourth coronavirus wave, the most challenging that the country has encountered, it has recorded 153,621 cases in 62 of its 63 cities and provinces.

Vietnam has vaccinated more than 6.41 million people, including 659,064 who have been fully vacicnated. The country aims to achieve herd immunity by April next year through vaccinating 70 percent of its 96 million population.