Italy donates more than 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca to Vietnam

The Italian Government announced a decision on August 25 to donate 801,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam through the COVAX mechanism. It is expected that these vaccines will be handed over to Vietnam in early September.

This is the result of high-level advocacy, including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s letter to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi requesting support for vaccines as well as efforts by the government’s special working group on vaccine diplomacy. The decision is testament to the Vietnam - Italy strategic partnership, demonstrating the solidarity of the Italian Government and people towards Vietnam in difficult times.

In the context of complicated disease developments, with the emergence of dangerous and fast-spreading new strains, the Vietnamese Government has determined that the urgent solution and priority is to gain access to many vaccine sources for the fastest possible implementation of the expanded vaccination campaign.

Italy is the fourth-largest donor in the EU to the COVAX mechanism, with a commitment to donate 15 million doses of vaccine and $359 million. As a development partner of ASEAN, it recently pledged to provide an additional $2 million to ASEAN’s special fund to prepare and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also on August 25, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there was a symbolic ceremony for the receipt of 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine given to Vietnam by the Romanian Government.