The World Bank and the State Bank of Vietnam on July 30 signed a US$6.2 million grant agreement to strengthen Vietnam’s coronavirus surveillance and testing capacities, research capacity for COVID-19 vaccines, test kits, and communications about the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 situation in Vietnam is evolving quickly,” said Stefanie Stallmeister, Acting Country Director for the World Bank in Vietnam. “This emergency operation will not only support the government to quickly monitor and respond to COVID-19 but also contribute to building a resilient health system for future health emergencies.”

The project will strengthen the capacity of laboratory systems at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and other lab systems nationwide by helping to improve the ability to evaluate community immunity to COVID-19. 

The grant will also fund the provision of equipment to improve the capacity of the Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (POLYVAC) for research and development of new vaccine and quick diagnostic tests.

The project is expected to support 200 laboratories involved in COVID-19 surveillance and testing in hospitals and Provincial Centers for Disease Control nationwide. Support to NIHE and POLYVAC, Vietnam’s leading public health and vaccine research and production institutions, will directly contribute to improving the country’s capacities to detect and respond to COVID-19.

The project is financed by the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) through its insurance window allocation to Vietnam.