HCMC – Dong Nai Province-based property developer Donacoop has not asked the Ministry of Health’s Drug Administration for permission to import 15 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, the administration said on August 31.
Donacoop general director Bui Thanh Truc said last week that the company had reached an agreement with Pfizer to import some 15 million doses of the vaccine.
He added that the American biopharmaceutical company already has a sufficient vaccine supply ready for delivery to Donacoop in two shipments by September 15 and the company is awaiting approval from the Health Ministry so that the vaccine could be shipped to Vietnam.
According to Donacoop, the doses will then be used in Dong Nai and shared with the neighboring southeastern provinces and cities, such as HCMC, Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, which are suffering the brunt of the public health crisis.
On August 25, the Government Office released an official letter in which Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged the Ministry of Health to streamline procedures for the Dong Nai Union of General Agricultural Service Cooperatives (Donacoop) to import the U.S.-made vaccine.
Director of the Drug Administration of Vietnam Vu Tuan Cuong said the Government and the Health Ministry always encourage and create favorable conditions for businesses, organizations and localities to proactively seek Covid-19 vaccine sources and negotiate to buy the vaccines.
The Health Ministry spoke highly of Donacoop’s efforts to negotiate with Pfizer to import the Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam.
However, until now, the Drug Administration has not received a dossier for permission to import the vaccine from the company. Besides, Donacoop is not included in the Ministry of Health’s list of 36 units that are eligible to import and store the vaccines, including the Covid-19 vaccines.
Moreover, a representative of Pfizer Vietnam was quoted by the local media as saying that Pfizer has never worked with Donacoop. In addition, Pfizer reaffirmed that its consistent policy is to work directly with state governments and the Covax Facility regarding the Covid vaccine supply.
