(VOVWORLD) - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed resolute action by localities to contain the COVID-19 pandemic at an online Government meeting on Wednesday to discuss COVID-19 prevention and control.
 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (center) chairs a Government meeting on COVID-19 on February 24, 2021. (Photo: VNA) |
The Government delivered a report on COVID-19 vaccines and asked the Ministry of Health to report on its vaccine import plan and inoculation plan. As the pandemic wanes, Mr. Phuc called for increased production.
At the meeting, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long announced that 11 out of 13 localities hit by the latest virus resurgence have reported no new community infections in the past two weeks. He said 1.3 million vaccine doses will be imported in the first quarter, 9.5 million doses in the second quarter, 25.9 million doses in the third quarter, and 51.1 million doses in the forth quarter - 90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the year. On Wednesday morning, 117,000 doses of Astra Zeneca vaccine reached Ho Chi Minh City.
“We guarantee there is no COVID-19 vaccine shortage. Our foremost task is administering the vaccine, Vietnam’s biggest immunization drive ever. We intend to involve forces outside the medical sector, such as the military and the police force to speed up the process. The larger the population covered by the COVID-19 vaccine, the sooner our economy will reopen. We are running trials on domestically-produced vaccines, which are expected to be approved in 2022," said Minister Long.
 Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long (Photo: VNA) |
A Japanese man found dead in Hanoi and subsequently found to have COVID-19 was infected with a coronavirus strain that has never before been reported in Vietnam. The strain, known as CAL.20C, has previously surfaced in South Korea, Srilanka, and India, but not Japan. Researchers believe this variant is not highly contagious but they’re unsure about its virulence.