[VACCINATION CAMPAIGN] EUROCHAM WEBINAR 18.06.2021

June 19, 2021

Eurocham Webinar about the Vaccination Campaign

SUMMARY

The President of Eurocham, Mr Alain Cany, has updated its members on the vaccination situation in Vietnam. The main messages are summarized below:

About Vietnam’s vaccination strategy

– EUROCHAM together with US CHAM and UK CHAM sent a letter to the Vietnamese health authorities offering their support in vaccination.
– Vietnam currently has 3 million vaccines of various brands. Nearly 1 million vaccines have already been inoculated.
– The government expects to receive 10 million doses a month from August (AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and SputnikV), which could start mass vaccinations.
– Japan could have already donated 500,000 doses of vaccines to Vietnam.
– In these mass vaccinations there are logistical problems, mainly associated with the expiration of the vaccines (a few months) and the lack of refrigeration systems to store the vaccines – such as those of Pfizer, which requires cold.
– The vaccine market is 99% government-to-government. Bringing vaccines to Vietnam is not only illegal, but risky, as it is difficult to prove whether the vaccines are fake or have maintained proper preservation systems.
– The Vietnamese army would most likely take on logistical tasks to accelerate mass vaccination, which would take place, as in other countries, in mobile units (parks, stadiums, etc.).
– The government has created a fund for private companies to make donations and access vaccines. The management and operation of the fund is not transparent, and the rules for its management or the donation/vaccine ratio provided are unclear. EUROCHAM is committed to continuing to seek further information on this fund.
– Some large Vietnamese private companies have already contributed to this public fund and have started receiving vaccines in return, but the details are unknown.
– It appears that the operation of the fund was set on 2 June by the Ministry of Finance in Circular 2, but this has not been published.
– EUROCHAM recently had a meeting with European ambassadors and encouraged them to vaccinate their nationals but understands the logistical needs of states.

About quarantine

– Vietnamese authorities are negotiating with EUROCHAM and other groups to create a 7-day quarantine of entry into the country for vaccinated people. The situation of minors (who would not be vaccinated) remains to be determined.
– Eurocham recommends its members to go to their home countries and get vaccinated there, be out for 1 or 2 months and comply with the mandatory 7-day quarantine that could be established.
– Some islands, such as Con Dao, have already vaccinated their entire population, so perhaps Vietnam will establish “tourist corridors” as a pilot. A similar measure is planned in Thailand, starting in July.
– This quarantine could be applied initially in resorts to evaluate their results and then applied to large cities such as Hanoi or HCMC.
– The MOH at the moment only issues documentation confirming the person has been vaccinated. Work is under way to create a register and issue official vaccination certificates.

Recommendations

– It warns of the danger of illegal vaccine sales, as well as private and public offers from local authorities such as those of Dong Nai and Bing Duong, which are offering paid registration for vaccination, initiatives not aligned with government policy.
– Eurocham recommends companies start working in advance to be prepared when vaccines become available, suggesting they plan their vaccination protocol such as lists of workers who are interested in getting vaccinated, priority lists and team shifts, as well as including family members of employees who are in contact with vaccination.