According to a report by the Department of Preventive Medicine and National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, as of October 10, Vietnam had received over 87 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and conducted 57 distributions with a total of 81.7 million doses t, including 21.5 million in the past seven days. By October 12, more than 56.3 million doses of vaccine had been administered to people aged 18 years and older, with nearly 16.5 million people now fully inoculated and nearly 40 million receiving their first shot.
Ho Chi Minh City has witnessed the highest number of administered vaccines and the highest percentage of vaccinated people with 12.3 million doses, including first shots (equivalent to 98% of total people aged 18 and older) and 5.3 million second doses. In addition to the second shots, the city authorities have reviewed and injected those who have not gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 due to many reasons (such as underlying diseases and delay. On the other hand, the city has also focused on planning the vaccination of people returning to work from other localities in the near future.
A medical worker in COVID-19 patients treatment hospital (under the Hanoi Medical University) is injecting COVID-19 vaccines to people transferred from the Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. (Photo: NDO)
Thanks to the large supply of vaccines and acceleration of vaccination, the localities and units around the country have inoculated 11 million doses of vaccine, with an average daily capacity of about 1.1 million doses, from October 1-10. At a virtual meeting with 63 provinces and cities on October 11, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen required further speeding up of the injection rate, especially in localities that have only used 50-80% of the distributed vaccines (including Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Tri).
A large amount of vaccines are expected to be imported in the coming time. Therefore, in order to ensure the quick and effective use of vaccines, the Health Ministry asked the provinces and cities to consider the vaccination against COVID-19 the key task and the top priority in the current period. The ministry has directed relevant agencies to urgently receive vaccines as soon as they are distributed and speed up the vaccination for those aged 18 and over. Accordingly, priority will be given to those aged 50 and over.
Localities are required to mobilise forces to join inoculation; getting ready to deploy vaccination for many subjects under the guidance of the Health Ministry; and continuing to thoroughly apply information technology in vaccination.
The Ministry of Health asked the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to urgently distribute the vaccines to the warehouses of the Military Zones and the localities to receive vaccines from these warehouses immediately upon notifications. If the capacities of cold storage facilities have not fully met the requirements, localities must develop a specific roadmap to receive vaccines and make clear commitments on carrying out that roadmap to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institutes in the regions.
In addition to the objects specified in Resolutions No.21 and No.105 as issued by the Government and the Health Ministry’s Decision No.3355, the ministry requests the localities give priority to the free injection of COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 50 and over; those with underlying diseases foreigners and workers in enterprises, industrial parks and small factories.
The National Expanded Programme for Immunisation has been also developing documents related to training in the vaccination against COVID-19 for children. The specialised agencies have been discussing the methods of vaccination (in schools or localities) for children. The Ministry of Health will soon issue guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination for children and adolescents aged 12-18 years so that vaccines will be administered as soon as available.
