The government has decided an amount of VND1.24 trillion (US$54 million) for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.

First doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered in Vietnam since March 8. Photo: Kinh Te Do Thi

The money, which is sourced from the central budget reserve 2021, will also be used for the vaccination, which began in early March.

So far, some 50,000 people in frontline forces have been vaccinated in the country of nearly 100 million people.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) is responsible for the purchase and universal immunization in 2021 with the government’s initial plan of buying 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

Vietnam expected to get the delivery of 60 million doses in 2021, coming from British-Swedish AstraZeneca and COVAX Facility, the Covid-19 vaccine sharing scheme.

On March 23, Vietnam licensed Russia’s Sputnik V for the inoculation.

As the global supply is deficient, Vietnam is mobilizing different stakeholders for the import of vaccines.

The country is currently negotiating with Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Gamaleya for the purchase of vaccines.