Vietnam has granted the conditional approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine due to the urgent need for prevention and control of the pandemic.

Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong on Monday signed a decision to approve the conditional import and use of the vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

According to the decision, this is the first COVID-19 vaccine allowed for usage in Vietnam, which will be imported under the regulation on "emergency cases of disease prevention."

The health ministry tasked the Drug Administration of Vietnam with issuing an import license for the AstraZeneca vaccine, while the Administration of Science Technology and Training was requested to make clinical assessment of the vaccine’s safety and immunogenicity.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine will be responsible for making vaccination plans, providing vaccination guidance, supervising the task, and monitoring the post-vaccination process.

The National Institute for the Control of Vaccines and Biologicals will be in charge of inspecting the vaccine prior to use.

Vietnam is expected to purchase 30 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.

According to a representative of a Vietnamese vaccination center authorized to import the jab, it will be sold at a preferential price.

The center has nearly 50 vaccination venues across the country, over 50 standardized warehouses, and more than 5,000 doctors and nurses, the representative added.

Vietnam has documented 1,851 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday morning, with 1,460 having recovered and 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

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