On the afternoon of February 24, talking to VnExpress, a representative of Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC), said that two cold boxes containing 117,600 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have completed customs clearance.

AstraZeneca vaccine warehouse at VNVC.

After customs clearance, AstraZeneca needs to complete many procedures before officially transferring the first batch of vaccines to VNVC.

At the warehouse, the vaccine is still `intact` in two boxes as if it were shipped from a plane.

When the authorities request to take the vaccine for evaluation, a new batch of vaccine is opened and a random amount is taken.

Normally this process will take about 5-10 days, even two weeks.

`VNVC is responsible for negotiating and importing vaccines into the country. As for vaccine allocation, who to vaccinate, when to vaccinate, how to organize the vaccination… are decided and given instructions by the Government and the Ministry of Health.`

Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong came to inspect the Covid-19 vaccine storage conditions at AstraZeneca and VNVC warehouses.

On the same afternoon, Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong came to inspect the vaccine batch and Covid-19 vaccine storage conditions at the general warehouse of AstraZeneca and VNVC.

According to Ms. Vu Thi Thu Ha, director of VNVC’s supply system, AstraZeneca is a type of vaccine that does not require special preservation, only needing to use cold storage at 2-8 degrees Celsius like other vaccines available in Vietnam.

The 117,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arriving in Vietnam today are part of the order of 30 million doses that VNVC has negotiated to buy from AstraZeneca.

Vaccines are not only kept refrigerated at 2-8 degrees Celsius but also placed in a multi-layer locked room and strictly monitored by a security camera system.

In addition to AstraZeneca, VNVC is also continuing to search and negotiate with other suppliers to import Covid-19 vaccine.

VNVC representative said he could not share details about the vaccine purchase negotiation process with AstraZeneca.

`Ordering early means accepting a lot of risks. If they are not successful, VNVC will lose the entire deposit. Or if the research needs more capital, VNVC will have to invest more,` this person shared.

Vaccine

The first batch of Covid-19 vaccines arrived at Tan Son Nhat airport on the morning of February 24.