Prime Minister urges strong measures to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine testing

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs a meeting of permanent Cabinet members. (Photo: VGP)

Chairing a meeting of permanent Cabinet members, the PM asked relevant agencies to create maximum conditions for domestic units to conduct vaccine research. He assigned the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology and authorized agencies in determining the vaccine production capacity of domestic enterprises to take appropriate and timely support measures.

He also requested using the funds for clinical trials for the right purposes and in an effective way.

The Ministry of Health should learn experience of countries around the world in conducting COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials to speed up the testing of NANOGEN's Nanocovax vaccine in order to soon put it into use, while looking for foreign partners to cooperate in implementing the phase-three clinical trial of the domestically produced vaccine, the Government leader noted.

Under the direction and state management of the Ministry of Health, the Viet Nam Military Medical University will coordinate with the Institute of Biotechnology under the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology and relevant agencies to build a project to develop a vaccine research and development centre for prevention and control of human infectious diseases, including a grade 3 or 4 biosafety laboratory.

Regarding the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines from other countries, the PM affirmed that a certain volume of vaccines is needed to protect people's health. He asked the Ministry of Health to soon complete a project to determine the purchase of an appropriate country's vaccine, and search for more suppliers.

Amid the complicated developments of the pandemic in the world and the region, PM Phuc stressed that raising vigilance is still the most important measure to prevent and control the disease.

People nationwide should closely follow the message featuring 5K (in Vietnamese) Khau trang (facemask) - Khu khuan (disinfection) - Khoang cach (distance) - Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration) in order to live safely with the novel coronavirus in ‘new normal’, he said.

Meanwhile, agencies at all levels must prevent violations of quarantine regulations from repeating and localities, especially big cities, need to enhance inspections of pandemic prevention and control.

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