Government leader suggests WHO support vaccine delivery to Vietnam
VOV.VN - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested the World Health Organization (WHO) support and give priority to Vietnam, thus enabling it to soon get the next batches of COVID-19 vaccines as committed under the COVAX Facility.
During his phone talks with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebre on June 24, Chinh said Vietnam is destined to carry out the vaccination strategy in an effective, safe and timely manner.
The cabinet leader also asked the WHO to support and help the nation become one of the vaccine production centres in the Asia Pacific region, adding that with the capacity of the medical sector of Vietnam as well as potential of some Vietnamese businesses, The country is able to produce vaccines meeting international standards. He applauded the WHO Director-General’s suggestion to send WHO experts to support Vietnam in this regard.
He hailed the cooperation and support of the WHO for the development of the medical sector of Vietnam over the past 45 years.
Vietnam backs global medical efforts and greatly values the role of the WHO and the Director-General in coordinating international cooperation in pandemic prevention and control, particularly in promoting equal COVID-19 vaccine access across the globe, Chinh stated.
During the pandemic, Vietnam has made all-out efforts to implement the “dual goal” of combating the COVID-19 while recovering socio-economic development with support and cooperation of the international community, including the WHO, and of the Vietnamese people, and has yielded initial positive results, the Government chief said.
Tedros, in turn, glowingly spoke of Vietnam’s success in realizing the “dual goal”, particularly the country’s active and creative measures, resolute leadership of the Government and the participation of the whole political system as a contribution to Vietnam’s pandemic prevention and control efforts to make the country an effective COVID-19 prevention model in the world which was widely popularized by the WHO.
The WHO Director-General was also appreciative of Vietnam’s assistance to international friends in the fight against COVID-19 and thanked the Vietnamese Government for its commitment to contribute US$500,000 to the COVAX programme.
He also thanked Vietnam for successfully treating a UN staff member who was infected with COVID-19.
Vietnam would be prioritised to have rapid access to vaccine sources as well as become a vaccine production centre in the region, he said, adding that the WHO would dispatch experts to support the nation’s vaccine research and production of international standards.