Vietnam receives 6.3 million Covid vaccine doses from Europe

An officer of UNICEF labels a package of vaccine donated by Germany in December 2021. Photo courtesy of UNICEF

Germany, the U.K., Portugal, and Luxembourg have handed over 6.27 million additional Covid-19 vaccine doses, increasing Vietnam's Covax facility receipt to over fifty-one million doses.

VN Express reported that the deliveries, arriving in Hanoi from Dec 2021 to Jan 24, were made in close coordination with UNICEF, a Tuesday UNICEF press release said.

Germany, Portugal, and Luxembourg donated 4,000,230, 159,120 and 99,450 doses of the Pfizer vaccine while the U.K. donated 2,012,960 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

With the latest shipment, Germany’s Covid vaccine donations to Vietnam have topped ten million doses.

German Ambassador to Vietnam, Guido Hildner, said the pandemic can be defeated when it is brought under control everywhere.

Therefore, Germany and the European Union support the Covax campaign for fair and transparent access to Covid-19 vaccines worldwide, Hildner said.

"In 2022, Germany will continue to show solidarity with Vietnam in the fight against the effects of the pandemic and provide further vaccines through Covax," he added.

British Ambassador Gareth Ward said the donation was part of the U.K.'s support to Vietnam's roadmap of opening the economy by facilitating its vaccine boost on a large scale.

"We are committed to accompanying Vietnam in embracing a new chapter in 2022 when we all can live with Covid-19 with peace and prosperity again," Ward said.

He said that the U.K. will continue to strengthen its bilateral health partnership with Vietnam this year by supporting the building of a resilient health system through providing vaccines and medical supplies, and by facilitating knowledge exchange opportunities between the two countries.

This contribution also marks the third vaccine delivery by the U.K. after more than 727,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were delivered in 2021.

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