During his online talks with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, Chinh called on the company to soon hand over the vaccine for children and under 18-year-old people to Vietnam as the country is working hard to administer 70 percent of its population by early 2022.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds online talks with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla. |
The PM lauded Pfizer’s role and contributions in protecting public health globally, notably in the pandemic fight through its successful development of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
He used the occasion to thank the company for its contribution to Vietnam’s medical development, as well as its supply of vaccines according to an agreement under which Vietnam purchases 31 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
The Vietnamese Government has recently agreed to buy an additional nearly 20 million doses from the firm, he said.
Chinh expressed his hope that Pfizer would help Vietnam borrow and receive vaccines from other countries, and suggested new cooperation forms like the transfer of vaccine technologies, especially COVID-19 drugs.
He also hoped to promote the strategic, long-term cooperation with Pfizer in pharmaceuticals, technological research, development and transfer, and health capacity improvement for Vietnam, affirming the Vietnamese Government places the top priority on social welfare and public health.
On August 9, the PM also sent a letter to Bourla, asking for vaccination cooperation.
For his part, Bourla applauded the Vietnamese Government’s efforts and measures in combating the pandemic and protecting public health, and noted his belief that the country will soon contain the pandemic.
He said the COVID-19 cases have increased rapidly across the globe due to the Delta variant, thus hindering Pfizer’s efforts in vaccine supply.
Pfizer will try its best to speed up the vaccine delivery to Vietnam in August, September and the fourth quarter of this year, and stands ready to help the country get vaccines from other countries through different transfer forms, he pledged.
Pfizer backs the U.S. Government’s assistance to Vietnam in vaccines, he said, stressing the company is willing to cooperate with the country as suggested by the PM.
Source: VNA