Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam hopes to receive more support from internationalorganisations and countries around the world to access more sources ofCOVID-19 vaccines, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long told at an online meetingwith representatives from the COVAX Facility scheme (COVAX) and healthofficials from a number of countries on June 1.

During his remarks, Minister Long, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government,highly valued the initiative of the Global Alliance for Vaccineand Immunization (GAVI) and the World Health Organisation(WHO) in establishing the scheme with the goal of providing 2 billion doses of COVID-19vaccines in 2021, and ensuring fair and equal access to COVID-19 vaccines forall countries.

He urged COVAX to accelerate the supply of vaccines for Vietnam, noting thatthe country is witnessing the increasing number of locally-transmittedCOVID-19 infections, especially in industrial parks.

Vietnam is actively promoting the purchase of technology, receiving technologytransfer for vaccine production to be able to self-produce vaccines servinglocal people, Long said.

According to the minister, Vietnam has so far received nearly 2.6 million dosesof COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX out of a total of 38.9 million doses committed by it in 2021.

Vietnam is urgently carrying out its vaccination campaign in line with the planapproved by COVAX Facility, he noted.

Vietnam is committed to participating in the technology transfer chain forvaccine production, he said, adding that the country will invest in a vaccineproduction factory, which is expected to be licensed for production to supply vaccines to COVAXFacility and other countries.

Minister Long announced that Vietnamwill contribute 500,000 USD to the COVAX Facility scheme. This support shows appreciation for the effectiveness of this global initiativein responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and affirms the Vietnamese Government’scommitment to engaging strongly in the programme, he stressed.

The Vietnamese health official thanked COVAX Facility,international organisations and countries around the world for supportingVietnam in accessing vaccines in the framework of the scheme and other vaccinesources, expressing his hope that with the cooperation of theworld community, COVAX will realise its goal, contributing to pushing back the global pandemic with vaccines.

COVAX Facility – a mechanism set up by the WHO,GAVI, UNICEF, the Coalition for Epidemic PreparednessInnovations (CEPI), and manufacturers and partners forthe development of vaccines to ensure that all countrieshave fair and effective access to vaccines.

According to an announcement from UNICEF, theCOVAX Facility has committed to supplying Vietnam with 30 million doses ofAstraZeneca vaccine this year./.