The US government has agreed a US$4.5-million grant for Vietnam to fight against Covid-19, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said in talks with Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long in Hanoi on August 3.

Ann Marie Yastishock, Mission Director USAID Vietnam (Center) at the talks on August 3. Photos: Tran Minh

During the talks, USAID representatives said a batch of 77 cold storage freezers will arrive in Vietnam in early September following US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s commitments during his visit to Vietnam in late July.

In addition, USAID said it would request the US government to donate vaccines to Vietnam in the shortest time through its plan to share 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccines to the world.

In the same meeting, representatives of the US Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) said it would be ready to share experience in the anti-pandemic work with Vietnam’s partners and call for other organizations to support Vietnam.

In talks with the two bodies, the Vietnamese health minister expected them to donate oxygen cylinders and ventilators to Vietnam. He said Vietnam is capable of producing enough medical oxygen but cylinders remain in shortage.

Vietnam has received five million Moderna vaccine doses from the US and has become one of the 10 largest recipients of the US donated vaccines.

In the visit made by US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin to Vietnam on July 28-29, an important partnership initiative was put forth on how to help Vietnam combat Covid-19. During his talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, he said “I look forward to discussing additional ways that the United States can support Vietnam’s response.”

Carl Thayer, Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, said combating the Covid-19 and post-pandemic economic recovery will be also among multiple items on the agenda of US Vice President Harris’ visit to Vietnam in August.

In addition to these donations of five million Covid-19 vaccine doses, the US has committed US$19.8 million in Covid-19 related assistance to Vietnam since the start of the pandemic, according to the US Embassy in Hanoi.

Dr. Eric Dziuban, Country Director for CDC Vietnam, during the talks with Vietnam's health minister.