Vietnam has permitted Cuba’s Abdala vaccine for usage against the novel coronavirus, stated the government, as the Southeast Asian country is fighting its worst outbreak since the pandemic started.

Abdala has become the eighth COVID-19 inoculation permitted for usage in Vietnam, which has one of the lowest vaccination ratio in the district, with only 6.3% of its 98 million people having received at least two shots.

The statement came hours after President Nguyen Xuan Phuc left Hanoi for an official visit to Havana.

Whereas, Vietnam has logged 667,650 coronavirus infections and 16,637 deaths, the vast majority in the Delta-driven outburst from late April.

The government said in a statement, “The ministry of health has approved Abdala vaccine, based on the country’s urgent need for its COVID-19 fight”.

The ministry last month said Cuba would supply large numbers of Abdala to Vietnam and transference the production technology by the end of the year.

However, Vietnam and Cuba are amongst the last five Communist-ruled countries in the world, along with China, Laos and North Korea.

Previously Vietnam commended the United States to end its “hostile policy” toward Cuba and lift its venerable vocation embargo after rare anti-government protests on the island.