Hanoi, (VNA) – The second lot in the latest batch of over 3million doses of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine granted by the US through the COVAX Facilitywas handed over to Vietnam late July 25.

The ceremony to receive the lot of 1,500,100 doses of vaccine wasattended by Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan and Deputy Foreign MinisterTo Anh Dung, along with UN ResidentCoordinator in Vietnam KamalMalhotra, UNICEF Acting Representative in Vietnam Lesley Miller, and Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. of the US Embassy in Hanoi Christopher Klein.  

Addressing the ceremony, the two deputy ministers appreciated the timelyand significant support of the US through the COVAX Facility for Vietnam,especially amid complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in thecountry and the serious shortage of COVID-19 vaccine around the world.

They called on countries and international organisations to continuesharing vaccine, medical supplies and medicine in order to early put thepandemic under control and bring life back to normal.

The UN Resident Coordinator, the UNICEF Acting Representative and the Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. of the US Embassy in Hanoi pledged to continue supporting Vietnam, the regionand the world as a whole to access vaccine and repel the COVID-19 pandemic.

The batch is part of the 80 million doses of COVID-19 that US President JoeBiden has committed to sharing with the world.

So far the US has supplied Vietnam with more than five million doses ofCOVID-19 Moderna vaccine, which are part of the 23 million doses it committedto 20 countries/territories in Asia.

Vietnam has received more than 11 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from countriesand partners, including the COVAX Facility./.