Today, Lao PDR received a donation of COVID-19 vaccines from the Government of Japan through the COVAX Facility – a partnership co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO), with UNICEF as key delivery partner.
Group photo of Representatives from the Lao Government, the Ambassador of Japan, diplomats and International partners at the airport Tarmac ©WHO/Somphong Sihaphonh
The donation consists of 616,820 doses of the Astra Zeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine manufactured in Japan and will contribute towards vaccinating more than 300,000 Lao people by the end of 2021.
These vaccines were handed over to the Government of Lao PDR by H.E. Mr. Keizo Takewaka, Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR, in an official ceremony held at the Wattay International Airport, which was chaired by H.E. Ms. Pany Yathotou, Vice President of the Lao PDR. In attendance at the handover ceremony were also Dr. Jun Gao, WHO Officer-in-Charge to Lao PDR and Dr. Pia Rebello Britto, UNICEF Representative to Lao PDR, alongside other partners.
“The Government of Lao PDR highly values the donation of the Astra Zeneca/Oxford vaccines which reflect the efforts of the Government and People of Japan to help the Lao Government and People to prevent and contain the COVID-19 outbreak in our country. This latest batch of vaccines will help drive Lao PDR’s vaccination efforts forward and bring us closer towards our goal of vaccinating 50 per cent of the population by this year,” remarked H.E. Ms. Pany Yathotou, Vice President of the Lao PDR.
Representatives from the Lao Government led by H.E. Ms. Pany Yathotou, Vice President of the Lao PDR and H.E. Mr. Keizo Takewaka, Ambassador of Japan together with WHO and UNICEF during the official handover ceremony ©WHO/Somphong Sihaphonh
The Lao PDR Government will use the latest donation of doses to continue vaccinating priority groups including people above 60 years of age, people with underlying health conditions and health workers across the country, in line with the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan and in support of the Government of Lao PDR’s goal of vaccinating 50 per cent of the population by the end of 2021.
“The Government of Japan has been a firm supporter of the Government of Lao PDR in its COVID-19 response since the initial outbreak of the virus, having previously also supported Lao PDR with personal protective equipment for frontline health workers and oxygen therapy equipment for treating COVID-19 patients, as well as strengthening the country’s overall cold chain capacity under the “Last One Mile Support” programme. It is my hope that this latest donation of vaccines will help Lao PDR achieve its vaccination target for 2021,” remarked H.E. Mr. Keizo Takewaka, Ambassador of Japan to the Lao PDR.
H.E. Mr. Keizo Takewaka, Ambassador of Japan showed the sticker during vaccines arrival ©WHO/Somphong Sihaphonh
“The latest donation from the Government of Japan via the COVAX Facility reminds us of the power of global partnerships in ending the COVID-19 pandemic. No country is safe until every country is safe and WHO is urging countries to continue to share vaccines equitably. We applaud the Government of Japan's leadership in dose sharing to help fill an urgent supply gap and enable low- and lower-middle income countries to equitably access COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Jun Gao, WHO Officer-in-Charge to Lao PDR.
“With the arrival of every new shipment of vaccines, we move closer towards our goal of preventing further community transmission and putting this pandemic under control. We have already seen the effectiveness of vaccines in saving lives. Therefore, only by ramping up our efforts to rollout vaccines, not just only for COVID-19 but also for childhood immunization as well, can we hope to restore the lives of families and children from the damage caused by COVID-19,” stated Dr. Pia Rebello Britto, UNICEF Representative to Lao PDR.
Dr. Pia Rebello Britto, UNICEF Representative to Lao PDR and Dr. Jun Gao, Officer-In-Charge WHO Lao PDR after putting on the stickers to vaccines cargo boxes ©WHO/Somphong Sihaphonh
Vaccines are not a ‘silver bullet’ that will end the pandemic. For the foreseeable future, everyone must continue with proven preventative measures such as cleaning hands, wearing masks and physically distancing.
COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and CEPI, working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organizations, manufacturers, and others. COVAX is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
Gavi board members represented in Lao PDR include Australia, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Media contacts
Lao PDR Ministry of Health
Mr. Visith Khamlusa
Director of the Center of Communication and Education for Health
Contact No: +856 20 2250 2862
Email: vkhamlusa@yahoo.com
Contact No: +44 7387 055214
Email: press@cepi.net
Gavi global
Meghana Sharafudeen
Email: msharafudeen@gavi.org
Iryna Mazur imazur@gavi.org
Evan O'Connell
econnell@gavi.org
Laura Shevlin lshevlin@gavi.org
UNICEF Lao PDR country office
Fatoumata Tandiang
Chief of Communication OIC, UNICEF Lao PDR
Contact No: +33629793337
Email: ftandiang@unicef.org
WHO Lao PDR country office
Vannaseng Insal
Communication Consultant, WHO
Contact No: +856 20 2811 8180 Email: insalv@who.int
WHO Global
Contact No: +41 22 791 2222
Email: mediainquiries@who.int
Embassy of Japan in Lao PDR
Ms. Futamoto Yuko
Cultural and Public Relations Section, Embassy of Japan in Lao PDR
Contact No: (+856) 20 21414400
Email: yuko.futamoto@mofa.go.jp