Vietnam seeks COVID-19 vaccine support from EU
VOV.VN - President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on August 18 sent a letter to President of the European Council Charles Michel suggesting the European Union (EU) share COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam.
In the letter, President Phuc thanked the EU for its support to Vietnam in recent times, especially donating 2.4 million doses of vaccines to the country through the COVAX Facility.
As Vietnam is meeting difficulties in securing vaccines for its nearly 100 million people as well as medical equipment, it expects to receive maximum assistance from the EU via donating vaccines, sharing technology, providing medical equipment and sharing experience in coping with the pandemic, wrote President Phuc.
In another similar letter to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh spoke highly of the positive development of the Vietnam – EU ties amid the pandemic.
He expressed his wish that the EU would consider assisting Vietnam in vaccine supplies, while suggesting that the COVAX Facility prioritise the allocation of vaccines to Vietnam and other ASEAN member states given the complicated developments of the pandemic at present.
Vietnam is speeding up a vaccine diplomacy strategy aiming to get sufficient vaccines for its people. Vietnamese leaders have, through phone talks with foreign leaders or international meetings, lobbied them for vaccines to the nation.
It has so far received nearly 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from different sources, from manufacturers to donors, including the United States, Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Russia, China and Poland.
Vietnam has set a target of vaccinating 70% of its population, or 75 million people, by early 2022 to achieve herd immunity.
It is now grappling the fourth outbreak of COVID-19, with the virus spreading to 62 out of 63 cities and provinces across the country and close to 300,000 new infections confirmed.
