Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam receives a second shot of the locally-produced Nano Covax COVID-19 vaccine (Photo: Minh Khoi)

The Deputy PM is one of a total of 560 volunteers partaking in the trials which started on February 26.

He also spent time visiting and encouraging volunteers and on-duty medical workers, while expressing his firm belief in the ability of local scientists to successfully develop efficient and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

Lieut. Gen. Do Quyet, director of the Military Medical University, stated that the vaccine has succeeded in creating large amounts of antibodies among volunteers, whilst also proving to be effective against mutant strains.

He added that the second phase will ultimately allow researchers to witness exactly how immunogenic the Nano Covax vaccine is. Volunteers participating in the second phase include people aged 65 and above, along with those with non-severe underlying health conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

The director said the third phase of human trials may require only 10,000 volunteers who will be divided into two groups. The first group of 5000 people will be injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine, while the remaining volunteers will then receive the locally-made Nano Covax vaccine.

He added that the nation has the scientific knowledge to compare any side effects and antiviral efficacy between the local vaccine and the AstraZeneca vaccine. If the positive results between the two vaccines come out the same, then the Vietnamese Nano Covax vaccine might be licensed by the Ministry of Health ahead of schedule.

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