Vietnam to receive vaccines from US supply source of 55 million doses

The recipients of the new doses will largely be made up of countries and territories located in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa.

The vaccines will mostly come from supply sources within the US, including Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, all of which have been authorised for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden said that the first 25 million doses will be sent to South and Central America, along with Asia, Africa, neighbouring countries, and US allies via COVAX facility.

In terms of the latest donation, approximately 16 million will go to countries situated in Asia such as India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, and Thailand, according to the Biden administration.

In a recent interview granted to a correspondent of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Mary Tarnowka, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam), said AmCham representatives had previously sent a letter to President Biden to urge his administration to prioritise vaccines for Vietnam.

Tarnowka added that the White House stated early this month that Vietnam remains a priority country for the sharing of the first 25 million doses.

She went on to express her hope that AmCham can work alongside the Vietnamese Government to ensure an adequate supply source of vaccines, whilst making financial contributions to purchase vaccines for employees of businesses that are members of the chamber and Vietnamese people.

AmCham remains ready to co-operate alongside Vietnam to boost its national vaccine rollout and to help the country fulfill its dual goal of preventing the pandemic effectively and boosting socio-economic development.

She revealed that the majority of vaccines will be shipped to Vietnam during the third and fourth quarters of the year.