The first shipment of 97,110 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi on July 7 morning.

Vaccine containers at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi on July 7 morning. (Photo from the Ministry of Health)

Truong Quoc Cuong, Deputy Health Minister of Viet Nam, Christopher Klein, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Ha Noi, and John Paul Pullicino, Country Manager and Chief Representative at Pfizer Viet Nam, were at the airport to receive the first vaccine batch.

The first batch is part of a 31 million dose contract that the Ministry of Health has signed to purchase the vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Health Minister Cuong said that from last September, when Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was in the third phase of human trials, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Pfizer had started talks to supply Viet Nam.

After more than 20 meetings over the past 10 months, the two sides reached the agreement on vaccine supply on June 7, 2021, he said.

The MoH thanked Pfizer for providing training and guidance to readily receive and use its COVID-19 vaccine, he added.

He urged Pfizer to ensure its delivery schedule of 31 million doses within this year, and consider supplying another 20 million doses as well as the possibility of vaccine production technology transfer in the future.

Klein stressed that the delivery is a signal of hope, that working together can overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, protect the economy and bring people’s lives back to normal.

According to the diplomat, the US’ top priority at the moment is fighting the pandemic, so the US has committed billions of US dollars to the COVAX Facility and millions of vaccine doses to many countries.

He affirmed that 2 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as a donation from the US Government will arrive in Viet Nam soon.

Meanwhile, Pullicino said this batch of vaccine marks an important step in the process of supplying 31 million doses of Pfizer vaccine to Viet Nam.

Pfizer believes in its ability to meet and provide safe Pfizer vaccines for Viet Nam, he added.

As scheduled, more batches of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be handed over to Viet Nam in July.

At a press conference on June 7 (Viet Nam time), White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that the US will send 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Moderna to Viet Nam this week.

Previously, at his phone talks between Viet Namese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on May 28, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US will continue to support Viet Nam and other countries in accessing vaccines through the COVAX programme, including 80 million doses of vaccinea that the US will provide to the world.