Health Ministry receives 500,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses donated by Argentina

The Ministry of Health received 500,000 doses of Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine, worth over 2 million USD presented by the Government of Argentina, at a ceremony held in Hanoi on December 2.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan (fourth from left) and Argentinean Ambassador to Vietnam Luis Pablo Maria Beltramino (fourth from right) at the handover ceremony. (Photo: suckhoedoisong.vn)
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan (fourth from left) and Argentinean Ambassador to Vietnam Luis Pablo Maria Beltramino (fourth from right) at the handover ceremony. (Photo: suckhoedoisong.vn)

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said the cooperation between Argentina and Vietnam is developing well since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973. The seventh meeting of the Argentina-Vietnam Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade and Science and Technology Cooperation was held virtually in October this year.

Regarding the health sector, the two sides will strengthen cooperation on food safety and the use of Argentinean pharmaceutical products in Vietnam. In particular, the two sides agreed to strengthen collaboration to improve medical service quality, health infrastructure, and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Argentinean Ambassador to Vietnam Luis Pablo Maria Beltramino said this is the first time that the Argentinean Government has donated COVID-19 vaccine to another country and Vietnam is the country that has received the most vaccine support from Argentina, adding that his country will always remember that Vietnam has supported Argentina with 20,000 masks for the prevention of COVID-19 last year.