HCMC – HCMC must tighten the control over concentrated quarantine facilities in the city to prevent cross infection there, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said during his visit to a centralized quarantine center at the Vietnam National University HCMC in Thu Duc City on June 26.
The city should learn from other localities’ experiences in order not to make centralized quarantine centers become places with a high risk of Covid-19 infection, the local media reported, citing PM Chinh.
He took an example from some quarantine centers in Bac Giang, where the number of quarantined people was high and they used common bathrooms.
The Government leader said HCMC should enhance the police and military forces in centralized quarantine centers to prevent contact between quarantined people and prevent them from going out.
Besides quarantine, testing is important. Therefore, the prime minister asked the Ministry of Health to urged Medicon Co., Ltd to produce test kits and immediately send them to HCMC.
PM Chinh said quick tests and technology were keys to control pandemic in quarantine centers.
The prime minister later worked with Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC in the Saigon Hi-tech Park, the producer of Nano Covax–Vietnam’s first Covid-19 vaccine to undergo phase-three human trials. He said he had worked with the World Health Organizations several days ago and knew that the Covid-19 vaccine scarcity might last until September.
Vietnam has worked with many vaccine suppliers, but they would prioritize the vaccines for their countries and the countries with a worsen situation.
Vietnam is conducting the Covid-19 vaccination strategy with three plans to accelerate the vaccine purchase, vaccine production technology transfer and local vaccine production.
Vaccines are decisive to help the country return to its normal state, he affirmed.
The local vaccine production will help reduce transport costs and Vietnam can take the initiative in the fight against the pandemic.
Nanogen general director Ho Nhan said the company had four vaccine plants and could meet the local demand for Covid-19 vaccines.
The company will complete the trial of its Covid-19 vaccine on 13,000 people in the next 10 days and started the trial on another one million people next month.
Its vaccine sample has been sent to the World Health Organization for testing. Tens of countries, including India, have signed memoranda of understanding with Nanogen on the vaccine distribution.
Nanogen’s first criterion in vaccine production is safety. Nano Covax has been proved to be safe and effective and produce a strong immune response.
Nhan proposed the prime minister and the Ministry of Health assign a team in charge of local Covid-19 vaccine production to help remove the difficulties facing the firm as there are many complicated administrative procedures.
PM Chinh asked the company to clarify its technology and input materials and compare the vaccine’s quality and price with others in the world.
In response, Nhan said Nano Covax was one of the 15 Covid-19 vaccines and Nanogen was conducting the third phase of the human trial of the vaccine. The vaccine production technology was developed by Nanogen.
It can produce eight to 12 million doses per month and the capacity can increase to 30-35 million doses by October. Each dose costs VND120,000, the lowest among Covid-19 vaccines in the world.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said Nanogen’s technology was quite good. Some 130 vaccines in the world have been produced based on this technology.
The ministry has cut many administrative procedures so that Nanogen could focus on professional issues. When the second phase of the human trial had yet to complete, the ministry asked Nanogen to start the third phase.
Long said the ministry would create the most favorable conditions for the company to conduct the trial but it must ensure the lives of volunteers.
In the upcoming days, experts of the World Health Organization will come to Vietnam and coordinate with the Ministry of Health to assess the quality of Nano Covax.
