Answering a question about fully vaccinated people at the government press conference on Sept. 6, Thuan said that the Ministry of Health would discuss soon with scientists and makes proposals and then consult with relevant ministries and branches before submitting it to the Government for approval.

Regarding the clinical trial of the home-grown Nanocovax vaccine, he said that there are still some shortcomings that the licensing council has recommended the developer to solve. He said the vaccine is a special product that affects the whole community and many generations, so the home-grown vaccine must be safe and effective for licensing.

The health official also said that about 30 million doses or more of Covid-19 vaccines will likely arrive in Vietnam in September and October.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said that access to vaccines is the Government's top priority. However, in the first half of 2021, the world needed 11 billion doses of vaccine to achieve herd immunity, but only 4.5 billion doses were produced. The shortage of vaccines therefore is a global issue, including in Vietnam.

Vu emphasized that Vietnam has drastically implemented its vaccine strategy, including vaccine diplomacy in order to have the fastest, earliest access to vaccines.

Vu said that Vietnam mobilized 16.6 million doses of the vaccine early, and had 33 million doses by the end of August.

Regarding Covid-19 treatment drugs, Vietnam has been looking for different sources of medicine. The Ministry of Health and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad have imported millions of doses of different drugs from developed countries such as Japan, Switzerland and others to treat Covid-19 patients in Vietnam.

Huong Quynh - Thu Hang 

Health ministry tells HCM City, southern provinces to wrap up COVID vaccination by September 15

The Ministry of Health has called on HCM City, Hanoi and the provinces of Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai to ensure everyone aged 18 and above get the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine by September 15.