Minister of Health Bounkong Sihavong, left, at a press conference in Vientiane on Dec 31, 2020

(KPL) We have put a lot of effort into working with the world community to prepare and get vaccines available for Lao people, Minister of Health Bounkong Sihavong told a press conference on Dec 31.  

Worldwide, countries have developed up to 209 types of Covid-19 vaccine but none of them has met safety and effective standards of the World Health Organisation - WHO.

“Since the outbreak is getting worse and wide-spreading, the World Health Organisation has approved 10 vaccines for emergency use. They are proved to be safe, have no severe side effects and are effective meaning that once injected, about 95% of the vaccinated develop immunity,” said the minister.

The WHO issued its Emergency Use Listing on Dec 31 opening the door for countries to expedite their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the vaccine.

The Lao PDR has contacted four vaccine producers but only three of them have pledged to give assistance, according to the minister.

China has provided 2,000 dozes of Sinopharm vaccine. The first round of vaccination has been conducted for volunteers, frontline medical workers and it has appeared that the vaccine is effective and none of the vaccines suffer side effects.

Russia has pledged to give 500 dozes of Sputnik V. meanwhile,

COVAX Facility has listed Laos as one of 92 countries it will donate its vaccines to. As a result, 15-20% of population, or around 1.4 million people in the Lao PDR will be given the vaccine, beginning from April 2021.

Minister Bounkong has also urged the Lao people and foreigners residing and working in the country to take part in implementing anti-Covid-19 measures and legal instruments to ensure prevention and control of the outbreak in the country.

KPL