Medical staff administer COVID-19 vaccine to pupils in District 1,
Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VnExpress)
He made the suggestion during a meeting in response to the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness held at the Ministry of Health (MoH), on December 27.
According to the MoH Deputy Minister, the whole country has injected nearly 144 million doses of vaccine of a total of more than 166 million doses distributed, as of December 24. At least 79% of the population received the first dose, and 66% received two injections. In which, 98% of the group aged 18 or over received at least one injection and 86% received two injections.
“Vietnam's vaccination rate and coverage rate have reached a high level in the region and in the world,” he said, adding that by the end of December, the whole country will ensure coverage of the first dose for the population aged 18 or over and basic coverage of the second dose (about 90%), and at the same time, ensure coverage of basic doses for children from 12 years old.
Therefore, he asked localities to speed up the injection of the basic doses and the third dose to ensure public health and return the country to a new normal. In addition, the Deputy Minister requested localities to make a list and immediately vaccinate people in high-risk groups, ensuring that people in the risk group are not missed.
The Ministry of Health allows the third injection from December 1, after 3 months from the last dose of the basic dose, and immediately for people who have recovered from COVID-19, with priority given to the frontline forces, people at high risk, pandemic-affected areas, large urban areas with high population density, industrial parks and traffic hubs.
On December 16, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the completion of the third injection for people over 18 years old by the end of January 2022, and the second injection for people aged 18 or over by the end of December 2021 at the latest, and shorten the time to complete the third injection for adults in Vietnam from mid-2022 to the beginning of the year.
The International Day of Epidemic Preparedness was held worldwide for the first time, as an initiative of Vietnam proposed to the United Nations General Assembly. The focus of this year's message is on strengthening risk group management and communication about the importance and role of vaccination./.