Yula.la News

The Ministry of Health has recently started the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 for people over the age of 60 with the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine. The WHO and the Ministry of Health have given the permission to vaccinate citizens over the age of 60 with the Sinopharm vaccine, as well as those with previous health conditions, according to a report published by the Information Center and health education under the Ministry of Health.

Mr. Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, Lao deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the National Committee of the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Task Force, said Chinese vaccines are safe, reliable and efficient and that the Laotian side has already vaccinated high-risk border personnel on the front line, health workers and some citizens with the Sinopharm vaccine.

Moreover, at the end of June, the Ministry of Health launched the third round of the COVID-19 vaccination program when AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines arrived.

So far Laos got 3.147.620 doses of vaccines, including a shipment of 132,000 doses of AstraZeneca, 1.008.000 doses of Johnson & Johnson's, 5.000 of Sputnik, 1.902.000 of Sinopharm and 100.620 doses of Pfizer vaccine.

The vaccines are provided as usual by the COVAX Facility, a partnership between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

One of the main challenges the Lao government is facing in its battle against the virus is to procure 7.4 million doses of the vaccine to immunize 3.7 million people, or 50% of the population by the end of 2021. To date, Laos has been allocated a quota of 6.6 million doses of the vaccine, insufficient to inoculate 3.7 million people. "The government is trying to procure the remaining vaccine from partner countries. Phonepaseuth Ounaphome, director general of the Department of Hygiene and Promotion health under the Laos Ministry of Health said that the Government will also create a budget for the purchase of vaccines and funding sources from private companies to purchase sufficient quantities..

According to the report, Laos has received 2.1 million doses of the vaccine so far, including those from Sinopharm. To date, 11.6% of the Laotian population has received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 6.7% of people have received a second dose. In other words, more than 700,000 people in Laos have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines, while over 400,000 people have received the second dose.