Vietnam unveils distribution plan for 811,200 vaccine doses from Covax

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday approved a detailed plan for the distribution under which 317,550 of the 811,200 doses received last week in the first batch of vaccines through the global program will be distributed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 28 northern localities, 68,700 doses to 11 central localities and 245,350 doses to 20 southern localities.

HCMC will get the highest number, 56,250, and Hanoi, 53,350. Hai Duong, a former Covid hotspot, will get 43,700 doses.

The military and the police will receive 80,000 and 30,000 doses while the National Expanded Vaccination Program will get 20,000 doses.

The rest will be sent to the National Institute for Control of Vaccine and Biologicals for quality testing.

The ministry has said the recipients should use the vaccines immediately, completing the first dose by May 15.

The shots will be given to groups prioritized by the government.

Besides medical staff and other frontline workers, others in the priority list include teachers, diplomatic personnel, customs and immigration officers, those working in essential services like transport, people aged 65 and above, the poor, and those with chronic diseases.

People seeking to study or work abroad or are living in pandemic-hit areas are also in the list.

Vietnam aims to secure around 150 million doses this year to cover 70 percent of its 98 million population from the EU, the U.S., Japan, China, India, and Russia.

It has approved AstraZeneca's ChAdOx1 vaccine and Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for use.