Vietnam to receive Australia’s AstraZeneca vaccine donations this week
VOV.VN - Australia has committed to share 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with Vietnam, with the first shipment of more than 400,000 doses due to arrive this week.
Australia will deliver more than 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Vietnam this week, as part of the ongoing commitment to work together with our close friend and strategic partner, Zed Seselja, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, said in a statement on August 26.
It is in addition to Australia’s existing AU$40 million package of vaccine-related support to Vietnam.
Australia is partnering with UNICEF to procure additional doses to support Vietnam’s COVID-19 response, and providing funding for syringes, training of healthcare workers, fridges to maintain cold chain storage, and support for the vaccine rollout in remote provinces.
The Vietnam’s commitment brings the total number of doses that Australia has shared with the Pacific and Southeast Asia to over 2 million. This is part of Australia’s commitment to share at least 20 million doses with the region by mid-2022, according to the statement.
Australia’s partnership with Vietnam complements its AU$100 million commitment to the Quad Vaccine Partnership with the United States, Japan and India, and contribution of AU$130 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), providing fair and equitable access to vaccines in developing nations.
Access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is the highest priority for countries in our region, which will help to save lives and promote our shared economic recovery, noted the statement.
