US boosts Covid-19 vaccine donations to Vietnam

Another one million Pfizer vaccine doses arrived in Vietnam on Oct 7-8, lifting the US-donated volumes to 8.5 million thus far.

A batch of US-donated vaccines arrives in Hanoi. Photo: UNICEF

The latest delivery, including 600,000 to Ho Chi Minh City and 400,000 to Hanoi, totaled the US vaccine donations to 2.5 million doses in October alone.

The US Consulate General said more doses are “on the way in a few days.” Most of the doses are delivered through the global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX Facility.

“This shipment is the example of our commitment to Vietnam in fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the US Embassy in Hanoi.

In another move, this week, Acting US Consul General Robert Greenan handed over 30 USAID-donated oxygen concentrators to Blue Sky Social Enterprise, a community-based organization working on HIV. This life-saving equipment enables families to provide Covid-19 care at home.

ACG Greenan also discussed continued support for people living with HIV and other vulnerable communities during the pandemic.

Since the start of the pandemic, the US has committed more than US$26.7 million in Covid-19 related assistance to Vietnam.

The US and Vietnam continue to build on our longstanding cooperation with more than $1 billion U.S. investment in Vietnam’s health infrastructure to strengthen Vietnam’s capacity to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the US Embassy in Hanoi.

So far, Vietnam has received nearly 12 million doses from dozens of donors namely the US, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Rumania, Czech, Hungary, Belgium, and Slovakia via the COVAX Facility.

Covid-19 response and health security are part of the US new support worth $100 million to Vietnam that was announced during the Hanoi visit in late August paid by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Through the American Rescue Plan Act, USAID is continuing to support Vietnam’s Covid-19 response to help accelerate equitable access to and delivery of safe and effective doses of Covid-19 vaccine, strengthen Vietnam’s health system to respond to Covid-19, and build capacity to detect and monitor Covid-19 and future disease threats.

It will enable the Vietnam Red Cross to extend its emergency response program in central Vietnam to reduce the impacts and prevent the spread of Covid-19 in flood-affected communities.