One thousand doses of Sputnik vaccine donated by Russia arrived at the Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi this morning, according to the Ministry of Health. 

More than 50 countries have approved the use of Russia's Sputnik vaccine

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev brought the vaccine doses to Viet Nam on board an Il-96 plane following an order from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ministry said Viet Nam will receive 60 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021, half of which has been committed by the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX) program.

The remaining 30 million doses have been agreed upon by the Health Ministry and the UK-based AstraZeneca company.

The first batch of 117,600 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport on February 24 and have been administered to front line workers since March 8.

As of Monday, 15,865 front liners have been vaccinated in 12 cities and provinces nationwide, namely Hai Duong, Ha Noi, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai, Long An, Da Nang, Hoa Binh and Khanh Hoa.

In addition, the ministry is actively working with other vaccine producers including Pfizer and Moderna to diversify source of supplies./.