COVID-19 vaccinations must be safe, effective: Deputy PM

The Deputy PM, who is also head of the Steering Committee, stressed that safety must be as high as possible and that if something goes wrong it must be handled calmly.

Though COVID-19 has been largely brought under control in Vietnam, relevant agencies must continue to maintain readiness and vigilance, he said.

Deputy PM Dam called on people to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s “5K” message: Khau trang (facemasks) - Khu khuan (disinfecting) - Khoang cach (distancing) - Khong tu tap (no gathering) - Khai bao y te (health declaration).

Schools, health facilities, factories, markets, supermarkets, and accommodation establishments, he went on, need to actively self-assess their safety level in disease prevention and control and update information on the COVID-19 Safe Living Map System (www.antoancovid.vn).

He praised the efforts of the ministry in accessing foreign sources of COVID-19 vaccines and promoting vaccine research and production in the country.

The Ministry of Health is responsible for organising vaccinations in a safe and effective manner and promoting communications to raise public awareness.

He underlined the need to accelerate domestic vaccine research, production, and testing, noting that these must comply with all steps in the fastest time possible.

Vietnam is expected to have sufficient vaccines for 100 million people if research and development is successful, he said, adding that this is an opportunity for the country to lift its vaccine research capacity to a new level, enabling it to respond to other diseases that may strike in the future.

The Deputy PM also ordered the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to urgently build and issue relevant instructions and guidelines to create favourable conditions for those that have been given COVID-19 vaccines abroad to enter Vietnam.