A batch of COVID-19 vaccines delivered to Vietnam under the COVAX Facility in August 2021. (Photo: UNICEF Vietnam)   

NDO – Vietnam has excelled at its vaccination drive, achieving widespread coverage amongst the elderly, the at-risk and the wider population groups.

That was made by Aurelia Nguyen, Managing Director of the COVAX Facility at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in a statement issued on April 1, marking the first anniversary of the initial shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam via the COVAX Facility.

Congratulating Vietnam for its commitments to vaccine equity, Nguyen affirmed that the country has implemented strategies that have been crucial in ensuring success in vaccine distribution over the last year.

She said Vietnam’s success in its vaccination drive was made possible through initiatives such as improvised immunisation points across the country, which saw a big proportion of the population reached within five months. More than 2.1 million doses were administered in a single day at peak.

To date, Vietnam has received a total of over 64 million doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines through the COVAX Facility.