Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the online discussion with WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai on June 17 (Photo: VNA)Highly valuing the WHO’s role in the global fightagainst COVID-19, Deputy PM Dam, head of the National Steering Committee forCOVID-19 Prevention and Control, thanked the organisation and itsrepresentative in Vietnam for actively supporting the country over the last oneand a half year, since the pandemic broke out.
The Vietnamese Government is determined and exertingevery effort to accelerate the vaccination campaign so as to achieve herdimmunity soon, thereby resuming socio-economic activities and ensuring people’shealth and social security, he affirmed.
The Deputy PM asked the WHO to step up the delivery of vaccines under the COVAXFacility to Vietnam, promote cooperation in technology transfer so that Vietnamcan become one of the vaccine production centres in the region, thus contributingto common efforts to help regional countries access vaccine supply in a timelymanner.
For his part, Kasai applauded Vietnam’s effectiveresponse to the pandemic, noting that aside from senior leaders’ drasticdirections, communication work about disease prevention and control measures has been carried out fruitfully, securing people’s participation and seriousadherence.
Vietnam has been establishing itself as a role model in the COVID-19 responsein the region, he stressed, speaking highly of the country's sound and effective approachto vaccines, which views vaccines as an important tool to help control thepandemic but also combines it with other anti-pandemic measures.
The country has also made even investment in the pandemic prevention andcontrol and, especially, attracted the private sector’s engagement and promotedthe public - private partnership in seeking vaccine supply, technology transfer,and vaccine production, according to the WHO official.
He pledged continued assistance for Vietnam in thepandemic response, saying that he will support technology transfer, and consider thecooperation possibility to turn the country into a vaccine research and productioncentre in the region.
At the discussion, the two sides agreed to strengthencooperation, share information about policies and safety rules for vaccination,and maximise the WHO’s role in helping countries with the pandemic combat.
On this occasion, the WHO Regional Director thanked the Vietnamese Governmentfor donating 500,000 USD to the COVAX Facility, which, he said, reflects thecountry’s sense of responsibility towards common efforts.
He also appreciated Vietnam’s successful treatment ofa COVID-19 patient who is an expert of the WHO./.
VNA
