The second batch of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Hanoi. Photo: VNN

This is the second batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the first to be licensed  for circulation in Vietnam, to touch down in the country after the initial batch of 117,600 doses arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport last February.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen, together with representatives from international organisations received the batch of COVID-19 vaccines, which are set to be transferred to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for storage.

The Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) placed an order of 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, with the import of the first batch being deployed following a new outbreak in late January that has then spread to 13 cities and provinces nationwide.

Nearly 50,000 people have so far been vaccinated, including frontline health workers and members of various COVID-19 working groups, along with the Steering Committee for Epidemic Prevention and Control.

COVAX is an established mechanism aimed at ensuring that countries around the world have equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The facility has pledged to provide Vietnam with 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, including 4.9 million doses to be delivered in the first half of the year.

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