Vietnam’s Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on Saturday morning that the ministry had approved the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This is the first inoculation licensed for distribution in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre Newspaper reported.
AstraZeneca has committed to provide 30-50 million doses in 2021, 50,000 of which should be available in Vietnam in February, according to the health ministry.
AstraZeneca sells the vaccine to Vietnam for less than US$10 per two injections on the non-for-profit principle, the news source said.
Meanwhile, clinical trials are still taking place for two made-in-Vietnam vaccines — Nano Covax and Covivax, according to Tuoi Tre Newspaper.
The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, codenamed AZD1222, is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca given by intramuscular injection, using as a vector the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1.
COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is now authorised across the EU.
COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is given as two injections into the arm, the second between 4 to 12 weeks after the first. The most common side effects with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca were usually mild or moderate and got better within a few days after vaccination. The most common side effects are pain and tenderness at the injection site, headache, tiredness, muscle pain, general feeling of being unwell, chills, fever, joint pain and nausea, according to EU official website.