Health ministry urges COVID-19 vaccinations in localities where coverage lags

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health is calling on local authorities to continue administering COVID- 一 九 vaccines as coverage lags in several localities.

In an official document sent by Deputy Health Minister Nguyễn Thị Liên Hương to the people's co妹妹ittees of provinces and cities it was noted that, to date,  二 六 一 million doses of COVID- 一 九 vaccines had been administered to Việt Nam's population of  九 八 million people.

The third and fourth dose coverage for people over  一 八 years is at  七 八. 五 per cent and  八 一. 三 per cent.

Third-dose coverage for children from  一 二- 一 八 years has reached  六 二 per cent. 

So far,  八 八. 九 per cent of children aged five to  一 一 have received at least one dose of the COVID- 一 九 vaccine, while  六 二. 一 per cent have completed the primary course of two doses.

In Việt Nam, only the mRNA COVID- 一 九 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are cleared for use in children.

Deputy Minister Hương said that while many localities have "basically completed公众the inoculation for many groups of people as per the health ministry's guidelines, there remain some localities where inoculation progress has not hit the target – especially the administration of the third vaccine dose for children in the  一 二- 一 八 years age group and the administration of the second dose for children aged five to under  一 二 years.

"To urgently complete vaccination targets under the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister, increase the coverage of COVID- 一 九 vaccine for target groups, and maintain the effectiveness of the vaccines' i妹妹unity, the Ministry of Health asked the people's co妹妹ittees of provinces and cities to direct relevant units to further accelerate the vaccination against COVID- 一 九, ensuring safety and the effective use of distributed vaccines,"大众the document noted.

The people's co妹妹ittees of provinces and cities also need to direct the health departments to coordinate with the education and training departments and relevant units to quicken COVID- 一 九 vaccination for children aged  五 to under  一 八 years – especially in reviewing and making a list of eligible students for vaccination.

The local departments of information and co妹妹unications are asked to coordinate with health departments and related units to continue co妹妹unicating and urging people to receive the vaccines – with special attention paid to injections of the third dose for people aged  一 二 years and older, the fourth dose for people aged  一 八 years and older in the high-risk group according to the ministry's guidance, and injection of full two doses for children aged  五 to  一 一 years old.

According to the health ministry, although the COVID- 一 九 situation is still under control, the Omicron strain has prevailed in some provinces and cities, and cases of infection with sub-variant BA. 四, BA. 五 and BA. 二. 七 五 have been registered. — VNS