China provides additional 300,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine

The Ministry of Health has received 300,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from China and has begun vaccinating over 600 medical workers as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.
The vaccines were provided under a Covid-19 response grant from China and were officially handed over on Monday by the Chinese Ambassador to Laos, Jiang Zaidong, to Minister of Health, Associate Prof. Dr Bounkong Syhavong.

The vaccines were manufactured by China’s Sinopharm (China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.) and follow a previous donation of 2,000 doses from the company.
Russia has also provided a number of doses of Sputnik V, a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute.
The vaccine will be given to medical workers and at-risk frontline workers in Laos, Associate Prof. Dr Bounkong said.
It is anticipated that about 20 percent of the Lao population, or about 1.6 million people, will be vaccinated this year.
Vaccination coverage is expected to rise to 50 percent of the population by 2022 and to 70 percent in 2023, with more people to be vaccinated in the following years.
Laos also expects to receive Covid-19 vaccines from the Gavi COVAX Facility – an initiative working to ensure global equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines.
The vaccines funded by the COVAX Facility are expected to be administered in April, according to the Ministry of Health.
All vaccines take time to provide immunity and no vaccine can be guaranteed to provide total immunity in every individual, the minister said. This means it is possible for someone to fall ill even after being vaccinated.
Authorities are also considering acquiring Covid-19 vaccines produced in Germany, Japan and other countries, after they have been approved by regulators.
The Chinese and Russian vaccines provided to Laos are among 10 Covid-19 vaccines listed in the Emergency Use Listing procedure of the World Health Organisation (WHO). So far, no Covid-19 vaccine has been officially certified for safety or effectiveness by the WHO.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update February 9, 2021)