The Prime Minister has decided to add 11.58 billion VND (500,000 USD) from the central budget reserve in 2021 to the Ministry of Health to make contributions to the COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) Facility.

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccine supplied by COVAX Facility through UNICEF for Viet Nam (Photo: VNA)

He ordered the management and use of the funding to be publicised, transparent, and in line with regulation.

The principal role of the COVAX Facility is to maximise the chances of people in participating countries getting access to COVID-19 vaccines as quickly, fairly and safely as possible. By joining COVAX, self-financing countries will be guaranteed sufficient doses to protect a certain proportion of their population, depending upon how much they buy into it. Subject to funding availability, funded countries will receive enough doses to vaccinate up to 20 percent of their population in the longer term.

As one of 190 participating countries, Viet Nam is included in the list of those getting sponsored in the first phase of the mechanism.

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccine supplied by COVAX Facility through UNICEF for Viet Nam arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi on April 1 morning. The batch contains 811,200 doses.

Source: VNA