BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2021) Vietnam plans to approve the emergency use of Sputnik V, a Russian vaccine against COVID-19, the Vietnamese state news agency VNA reported on Friday, citing the country's health ministry.
According to the VNA, the ministry's advisory committee on the registration of medicines has recommended approving Sputnik V for emergency use in Vietnam. At the same time, the committee also recommended approving the emergency use of a vaccine developed by US company Moderna. Such recommendations are required for the registration of vaccines in the country.
Moreover, Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on Friday confirmed plans to import COVID-19 vaccines from Russia.
Vietnamese authorities aim to vaccinate the majority of the population against COVID-19 in 2021 and expect the arrival of over 1.3 million vaccine doses as early as in the first quarter of the year.
The country has already approved AstaZeneca's vaccine for emergency use.
Vietnam has so far confirmed over 2,400 COVID-19 cases, including more than 1,800 recoveries and 35 related fatalities.
