The Ministry of Health will join hands with relevant ministries and sectors to study and recommend the Government the suitable time to apply vaccine passports, with safety for locals being the overriding priority, said Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan.

Vaccine passport only proves its efficacy until herd immunity is reached. (Source: Internet)

Vaccine passport only proves its efficacy until herd immunity is reached, which means around 70 percent of the Vietnamese population get vaccinated, Health Deputy Minister Thuan said at the Government’s press conference on May 5.

Currently, no vaccines show 100 percent protection against the SARS-CoV-2 variants, he said, highlighting competent authorities must have meticulous consideration before carrying out the vaccine passport.

Besides COVID-19 inoculation, Thuan stressed that implementation of the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: Khau trang (facemask), Khu khuan (disinfection), Khoang cach (distance), Khong tu tap (no gathering) and Khai bao y te (health declaration) will contribute to stamping out the pandemic.

Regarding support policies for local people and businesses battered by the novel outbreak, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said that the ministry outlined specific support measures in February and have reported to the Government.

Meanwhile, the State Bank of Viet Nam has told financial institutions to reschedule debt repayments to help customers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under Circular No 03/2021/TT-NHNN dated April 2, 2021, the central bank gives permission to financial institutions to reschedule debts with repayment obligations incurred from January 23, 2020 to the end of this year.

Source: VNA