Hanoi (VNA) – Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on July 13announced an additional grant of 1 million doses of COVID-19 AstraZenecavaccine to Vietnam, raising the total Japan has donated to the country to 3million doses.

The fourth batch of the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive at Tan Son Nhat InternationalAirport in Ho Chi Minh City on July 16.

Previously,on June 16, Japan delivered nearly 1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine toVietnam. On July 2, nearly 400,000 doses arrived in the country. On July 9, thethird batch of AstraZeneca vaccine that Japan gave Vietnam as non-refundableaid landed at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Vietnam has so far received five types of vaccines, including AstraZenecavaccine from the COVAX Facility and through purchase from various sources,along with 3 million doses of vaccine donated by the Japanese government; 2,000doses of Sputnik V given by the Russian Government; 500,000 doses ofSinopharm's Vero-Cell donated by the Chinese government; more than 2 million doses of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine supplied by the US Government through the COVAX Facility; and the first batch ofclose to 100,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine arriving in Vietnam on July 7.

Currently, the use of COVID-19 vaccine for high-risk groups and the communityis considered as an active prevention measure.

Vietnam has been carrying out a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign fromJuly 2021 to April 2022 at all eligible vaccination facilities, includingmobile and fixed vaccination sites.

The Ministry of Health has set a target that at least 50 percent of people aged18 years and older will be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines this year and over70 percent of the population vaccinated by the end of the first quarter of nextyear./.