Vietnam receives additional 34 ultra-low freezers from US to store COVID-19 vaccines
The US has delivered an additional 34 ultra-low temperature freezers to Vietnam to help the Southeast Asian country expand life-saving COVID-19 vaccine storage capacity.
HCM City (VNA) – The US has delivered anadditional 34 ultra-low temperature freezers to Vietnam to help the SoutheastAsian country expand life-saving COVID-19 vaccine storage capacity.
The freezers were handed over to the Vietnamese Ministry ofHealth by US Ambassador Marc Knapper in Ho Chi Minh City on March 4.
They are among 111 ultra-low temperature freezers the US Department ofDefence is providing to Vietnam with a total value of approximately 1 millionUSD. They will be sent to HCM City and several southern provinces.
In his remarks at the handover ceremony,Knapper said together with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Departmentof Defence has stood alongside Vietnamese partners in the battle againstCOVID-19.
The US donation of the ultra-low temperature freezers today and theprevious deliveries of more than 26 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, 100ventilators and other medical supplies to Vietnam mark an important stepforward in the bilateral partnership in healthcare, he said.
With these ultra-low temperature freezers, Vietnam can safely store anddistribute mRNA vaccines, he said.
The diplomat stressed that the US is committed to assisting Vietnamese people in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and the US Mission willcontinue lobbying for the delivery of more COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam untilthere are enough vaccines for anyone who wants to be vaccinated.
He expressed his confidence that together both countrieswill be able to weather the COVID-19 crisis.
Assoc. Prof., Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the PasteurInstitute in HCM City, one of the recipients, thanked the US for its timelysupport, highlighting the importance of the ultra-low temperature freezers in storing anddistributing the vaccines.
The freezers will be used by the Pasteur Institute HCM City, ChoRay Hospital, 176 Military Hospital and CDCs of 20 southern provinces to backthe country’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccine rollout./.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a ceremony in Hanoi on October 4 to symbolically receive 1.5 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX Facility with the assistance from the US Government.
The Health Ministry’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology held a ceremony in Hanoi on October 12 to receive 77 ultra-low temperature freezers donated by the US.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has proposed Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla help accelerate the delivery of 22 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 in Vietnam in the coming days, with a goal of completing the contract in April or May at the latest.
The Ministry of Health has reached agreement with Pfizer to set out an estimate and a bidding plan, with the aim to bring 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for children to Vietnam within this month, and the remaining 14.9 million in the fourth quarter, Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen said on March 3.
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The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
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An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
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After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Illustrative photo. (Source: iStock)
