Delivery of first COVID-19 vaccine shipment from COVAX Facility delayed
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility cannot be delivered to Vietnam as planned in late March as producers are expanding and optimising production process, the Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine has said.
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX Facility cannot be delivered to Vietnam as originally planned. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAXFacility cannot be delivered to Vietnam as planned in late March as producersare expanding and optimising production process,the Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine has said.
Some 811,200 doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses, fewer than the original plan of1.1 million doses, are scheduled to arrive in the country in the next threeweeks.
Around 3 million more doses will be arriving by the end of May, pendingoperational and supply constraints, according to a statement from UNICEF Vietnam.
On March 23, Vietnam approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use againstCOVID-19, the second approved in the Southeast Asian county after theAstraZeneca vaccine.
The Ministry of Health and vaccine suppliers have worked with Johnson &Johnson, and Moderna for COVID-19 vaccine procurement, however, they have notinformed their ability to supply vaccines in 2021.
Additionally, the country is also banking on homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, notonly to serve the domestic demands but also to export the surplus to othernations.
The front-runner among the three currently being developed in the country, NanoCovax by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, is undergoing second phase ofhuman trials, with results expected in May.
The third and final phase of human trials is scheduled totake place around May to September, and registration for circulation will bepushed forward to September, three months earlier than planned.
Vietnam started its national COVID-19 vaccination drive earlier thismonth with 117,000 doses bought commercially from AstraZeneca with frontlineworkers first in line to receive the jabs.
ꦡ COVAXFacility is a global mechanism for the development, manufacture and procurementof COVID-19 candidate vaccines, facilitating and supporting member countries toaccess vaccines as they become available./.
The first cases of COVID-19 were discovered on December 29, 2019 in Wuhan, China. Later, on March 31, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
As of 16:00 on March 23, Vietnam had administered the COVID-19 vaccine to 37,911 people who are frontline medical workers, and members of community-based anti-COVID-19 groups and steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control.
It is necessary to conduct proper and timely COVID-19 vaccination to ensure safety, towards the vaccination for the whole population, while considering and accessing different vaccine sources and continuing to research and develop domestically-made vaccines so that the vaccines can be put into use in 2022, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has directed.
“Vietnam defeats COVID, ends Tuberculosis” is the main theme set by the National Programme against Tuberculosis (TB) in response to the World TB Day 2021 (March 24).
Despite storm-related disruptions and flight delays, the organs were successfully transported via a combination of air and ground travel. All patients are currently stable and recovering well.
The patient, Tieu Viet But, born in 1970 and residing in Binh Tri commune, Binh Son district, the central province of Quang Ngai, was working aboard fishing vessel Qng – 95657TS when the incident occurred at 7:00 am.
All drugs entering hospitals must have a clear origin, so counterfeit drugs are only in the market, not in hospital, affirmed Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.
To achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2045, Vietnam is prioritising the integration of AI and digital tools into the training of future doctors, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Dean of Medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi.
Health experts called for collective disease prevention and integrated solutions to achieve zero dengue deaths in the country at an online talk show on June 14.
The PM called for closer, broader, and more effective cooperation with Vietnamese partners, guided by the principles of mutual benefit, joint efforts, shared outcomes, and common development, including promoting stronger public-private partnerships and collaboration with businesses.
Renowned for its expertise in complex surgeries, the hospital has attracted foreign patients seeking treatment for conditions such as kidney and urinary tract stones, urological and gastrointestinal cancers, and male reproductive disorders. Most procedures are performed using advanced techniques, including laparoscopy and robotic surgery. T
Leading Vietnamese companies specialising in respiratory and dermatological treatments, traditional medicine, immune support supplements, and functional foods will have an opportunity to connect with international distributors and secure export deals.
The project aimed to enable early detection and reduce the risk of dangerous complications, targeting patients with chronic diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and metabolic disorders.
A 2023 report by the Vietnam Health Economics Association estimated that the total cost of tobacco-related healthcare and economic losses reached 108 trillion VND (4.14 billion USD) annually – equivalent to 1.14% of GDP and five times higher than the budget revenue generated by the tobacco industry.
All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
Medical screenings and surgical interventions for children with disabilities are being carried out at health centers across Dien Bien. So far this year, 242 children have been identified for diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and the provision of assistive devices.
The Red Journey has become the country’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign, leaving a strong impression on the national voluntary blood donation movement.
This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCM City, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus’s extremely early gestational age and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with aortic atresia.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place one day after the VNVC Vaccine JS Company and Sanofi Group exchanged cooperation documents on vaccine production technology transfer under the witness of State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
Despite the ongoing global circulation and unpredictable developments of SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hasn’t issued new warnings about COVID-19, said the Ministry of Health.
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX Facility cannot be delivered to Vietnam as originally planned. (Photo: VNA) 
