(VOVWORLD) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting on Sunday with ministries, sectors, and relevant sides to discuss COVID-19 vaccine and drug development, production technology transfer, and import.
 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA) |
The Prime Minister said the government, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers have closely worked on the vaccine strategy, but a more comprehensive, scientific, and prompt evaluation is needed as the pandemic situation in the country and the world continues to be complicated, particularly with the new variant.
The Prime Minister said vaccination, drugs, and people's awareness are of great importance at the moment.
He said the Ministry of Health needs to work out detailed plan to ensure accelerated, safe, effective vaccination.
The Prime Minister said: “By the end of this month, we need to complete full vaccination for people above 18 years old. We also need to make a roadmap for administering the third dose of vaccine with consideration of priority groups and others as requested by each locality. The vaccination for people aged 12 - 18 should also be accelerated.'
Regarding COVID-19 drugs, the PM asked the Health Ministry to assist domestic producers and create the best possible conditions for the manufacturing for the sake of people’s health.
The Ministry of Health reported that Vietnam has received and is set to receive about 211 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines under purchase and assistance agreements by the end of 2021, including over 150 million doses already delivered by late December 3.
Vietnam is transferring development technologies and testing several vaccines, including Nanocovax, COVIVAC, ARCT-154, HIPRA, Sputnik V, Shionogi, and others of Cuba and India.