Hanoi begins COVID-19 vaccination on March 9

The vaccination campaign in the capital runs from March 9 to March 18 across 30 districts.

AstraZeneca is one of three vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has been used across over 50 countries and territories globally. The vaccine will be given to people over the age of 18, with 2 shots, spaced 12 weeks apart.

The municipal Department of Health has assigned the Hanoi Center for Disease Control to work out a detailed plan for COVID-19 vaccination to ensure the best possible safety.

According to Chu Xuan Dung, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, and head of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, underscored the high risk of the disease transmission among the community in the comming time, while calling on every citizen to properly implement an-pandemic measures.

On March 9 morning, Vietnam posted zero new COVID-19 cases, leaving the national infection count unchanged at 2,524, including 1,586 domestically-transmitted cases, and 938 imported cases.

One day earlier, the nation launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive, with around 377 medical workers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and northern Hai Duong province – the country’s current biggest pandemic hotspot being infected with AstraZeneca vaccines.

The vaccination is underway at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and two medical centres in Hai Duong.

According to information from the National Expanded Programme on Immunization, vaccination activities at all four inoculation sites on the first day of inoculation stayed safe, with 100% of injected people reporting no post-injection reactions.

Prof.Dr. Dang Duc Anh, director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, and head of the Steering Committee of the National Expanded Programme on Immuniztion said vaccination sites in Hai Duong province have successfully launched its COVID-19 vaccination plan, strictly complying with regulations set out the Ministry of Health on ensuring inoculation safety and preventing the SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Elsewhere, Ho Chi Minh City will go ahead with the shutdown of discos, bars, karaoke parlors to ensure safety amid the complicated coronavirus pandemic, while other types of service business started to return to normal on March 9.

Local peoples are advised to strictly comply with anti-pandemic measures, by wearing facemask in public places, washing hands frequently, and keeping a safe distance.

The city has gone 26 straight days without any new local infections since the resurgence of the virus on January 27.

Vietnam has registered a total of 2,524 COVID-19 cases, including 1,920 recoveries and 35 deaths so far.