Vietnam to ink Pfizer/BioNTech deal for COVID-19 vaccine supply

Vietnam is set to purchase 31 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from manufacturer Pfizer/BioNtech of the United States under a deal to be signed shortly between the two sides, according to sources from the Ministry of Health (MoH).

The vaccine will be delivered to Vietnam in the third and fourth quarters of ths year, said the sources.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the MoH has accelerated negotiations with the US manufacturer over the past months to reach the deal.

A representative of Pfizer/BioNtech in Vietnam acknowledged the MoH’s efforts and desires to soon get the vaccine for people.

Earlier, on May 17 Minister Long said that the US manufacturer has yet to accept negotiations regarding prices and conditions of a potential deal.

The Prime Minister immediately asked relevant ministries to work out solutions in order to reach a deal with Pfizer/BioNTech, for the sake of people’s health.

Vietnam is anticipated to receive approximately 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year, including 38.9 million doses from the UN-administered COVAX Facility, 30 million doses from AstraZeneca, and 31 million doses from Pfizer/BioNTech.

The MoH is negotiating with other vaccine manufacturers such as Moderna of the US, Sputnik V of Russia, and Sinopharm of China to purchase other types of vaccines for domestic use.

According to the MoH, Vietnam needs at least 170 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate its population now numbering nearly 100 million.