France and Italy have presented approximately 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine via the COVAX Facility to aid Vietnam’s ongoing fight against the pandemic.

Three batches of AstraZeneca vaccine with a total of more than 2 million doses have arrived in Vietnam, bringing the total number of vaccines doses the country has received to nearly 30 million.

Each country has its own policies to ensure funding to buy vaccines against Covid-19. The Government of Vietnam’s initiative to establish a vaccine fund has been praised for its humane features.

Some people have criticized the Government for being slow in vaccinating its people. To date, only nearly 1 percent of population has been vaccinated, a figure which is even lower than Laos and Cambodia.

Organisations and individuals have so far committed more than VND5.6 trillion to the national COVID-19 vaccine fund since it was established not long ago to support the national vaccination campaign.

A COVID-19 vaccine fund made its debut on June 5 evening in Hanoi, featuring the participation of PM Pham Minh Chinh, officials from the Vietnam Fatherland Front, ministries, sectors, and organisations, business community representatives and others.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is set to officially launch a COVID-19 vaccine fund on Saturday in Hanoi.