Covid vaccines for children aged 5-12 to arrive in May from Australia

Deputy health minister Do Xuan Tuyen said the vaccines are among the 13.7 million doses Australia has promised to donate, including nine million Moderna doses.

His ministry had negotiated with U.S. company Pfizer to buy vaccines for children, and several embassies in Vietnam including the Australian, Dutch and American had also offered them, he said.

The vaccination would begin as soon the vaccines arrive, he said.

He said there are three domestic vaccines in the pipeline, Nanocovax by Nanogen, Covivac by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals and ARCT-154 by Vingroup.

They are still in the clinical trial stage, and would be approved for use once “requirements are met,” he added.

Vietnam has fully vaccinated 79.7 percent of its population, with 51.8 percent also getting a third shot.