HCM City’s health department has issued official responses to the health ministry’s request for clarification of its deal for and use of the donation of five million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Nguyen Hoai Nam said the city still has 913,204 doses of the vaccine, including 591,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine allocated by the Ministry of Health on August 9.

The Ministry of Health has asked Ho Chi Minh City about its plans to buy 5 million doses of Moderna vaccine; otherwise, the ministry will transfer the deal to another locality.

Hanoi Medical University is recruiting volunteers for the phase 1 clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine ARCT-154, which was transferred by an American company.

Since July 22, HCM City has been allocated 2,595,490 vaccine doses by the Ministry of Health and has administered 2,108,186 doses. It is expected that by August 9, the city will use all the remaining vaccines.

The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent dispatch to all vaccine-allocated agencies across the country, requesting them to urgently receive and administer Covid-19 vaccines.

The Government has asked the Ministry of Health to consider giving vaccinations to drivers and those involved in transporting goods.

Nano Covax is Vietnam’s first COVID-19 vaccine that is entering the third phase of human clinical trial with the participation of 13,000 volunteers. All the volunteers are set to receive two shots by August 15.

Retail systems and businesses producing essential goods, despite difficulties in transporting goods and a labor shortage, are striving to maintain operations and stabilize selling prices to meet consumer demand.

Nanogen, a Vietnamese biotechnology and pharmacy firm, has published two scientific articles on the results of research on the Nanocovax vaccine.

The government of the northern coastal city of Haiphong has proposed borrowing 500,000 doses of the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine while it is awaiting vaccine allocations from the Ministry of Health.

HCM City needs at least 5.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in August to realize its vaccination plan, according to proposals sent to Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam by the city’s Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that all the vaccines used in Vietnam have been licensed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and are being used in other countries.

Ho Chi Minh City has received the largest number of Covid-19 vaccine doses in the country, with a total so far of nearly 4.1 million doses.

Vietnam is stepping up its efforts to secure vaccine technology transfer to get access to inoculations, paving a way to enter the global vaccine supply chain.

The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organisation organized a webinar on August 4 to consult experts on the evaluation of clinical research data and approval of vaccines against COVID-19 in emergency situations.

Thanks to “vaccine diplomacy”, Vietnam has received more than 15 million doses of covid-19 vaccine, with more than 12 million doses allocated to epidemic-hit localities in July alone.

Vietnam and HCM City have been receiving a great deal of medical support and vaccine donations from countries around the world to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least three provinces, including Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa and Dong Thap, said they want to participate in the trial phase of the locally-made Covid-19 vaccine Nanocovax.

Trinh Hoai Duc Gymnasium in Dong Da district has become a vaccination site. This is one of 10 vaccination sites organized under the model of a "field hospital" in the capital city.