With the initiative of the COVID-19 vaccine fund, representatives of international organizations in Vietnam highly appreciated the solidarity and responsibility of the people in the fight against the "COVID-19 enemy".
According to calculations, to achieve community immunity, Vietnam needs 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to vaccinate about 75 million people. The total cost is estimated at more than VND25 trillion. Along with that, the pandemic is not expected to end soon, thus living with it becomes a permanent requirement. Meanwhile, as vaccine effectiveness is not long lasting, the vaccination must be carried out periodically. All of this requires huge funding while the country still has many difficulties and a limited budget. Every contribution to the COVID-19 vaccine fund is towards the goal of a safer life for contributors, their families, the community and the whole society.
Representatives of groups, corporations and businesses donate to the COVID-19 vaccine fund. (Photo: VNA)
Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam, said the mobilisation to improve access to COVID-19 vaccine of the Vietnamese Government is carried out in a timely manner and in line with the global vaccine initiative.
That the Government manages and equitably uses donations from individuals and private firms is hoped to result in new values for the strategy to fight the pandemic, he added.
"It is this solidarity that will help Vietnam end the pandemic. Hopefully, Vietnam will continue to be an example of a people-wide approach to ending the pandemic," he emphasized.
UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra affirmed that the initiative has received support from the UN over the months.
He noted that there should only be one fund at the national level, under the supervision and guidance of the Government.
Welcoming Vietnam’s inauguration of the vaccine fund, Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, said that the Vietnamese Government has made an accurate move in speeding up the inoculation drive.
For her part, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen said a UNDP study showed that people in the country are highly in favour of the COVID-19 prevention and control measures of the Government.
Therefore, she expressed her belief that people from all walks of life, especially businesses, will respond to the Government’s call and make contributions to the newly-established fund.
Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti, head of the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, said the establishment of the vaccine fund has a significant role to play in Vietnam’s strategy in battling COVID-19.
He also said he believes that the Vietnamese Government plays a core role in the mobilisation and connection of resources.
As of 8pm on June 5, the fund, which was approved by the Government on May 26, had received VND1.036 trillion./.