Since June 2021, Vietnam has been noting a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections and deaths. It is due to the accelerating spread of the Delta variant of the virus. Vaccines are an important tool in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, Vietnam does not have enough doses to secure them for all those who want to get vaccinated.

In response to a call by the Vietnamese authorities, Poland decided to donate 501,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The transport will reach Hanoi on Saturday, 21 August. Today, the official dispatch of the transport at Warsaw Chopin Airport cargo terminal was attended by: Anna Goławska, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Health, Paweł Jabłoński, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Michał Kuczmierowski, President of the Polish Government Agency for Strategic Reserves, Nguyen Hung, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Poland.

“Poland’s aid for Vietnam is an expression of our solidarity with the Vietnamese society. Over the past 70 years, Poland and Vietnam have enjoyed traditionally close relations, stemming both from historical, as well as economic and social reasons. Help in need is the true measure of friendship. We still remember the spontaneous gestures of support of the Vietnamese community that Poland experienced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the epidemiological situational in Vietnam worsens significantly, we feel obliged to act in a similar fashion,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Paweł Jabłoński.

The vaccines for Vietnam come from a surplus of government resources and will be distributed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health according to local needs. The donation will also support vaccinations of foreigners, carried out by Vietnamese medical services. Poles staying in Vietnam were able to register for vaccination by filling out forms on the website of the Polish Embassy in Hanoi.

The today’s donation of over half a million vaccines against COVID-19 is one of elements of Poland’s support for Vietnam in its fight with the pandemic. Over eight tonnes of medical and personal protective equipment will be sent in the coming weeks. There are also plans for a non-profit resale of further vaccine doses.

 

MFA Press Office
 

Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA

Photo: Rządowa Agencja Rezerw Strategicznych