Following the Da Nang government-approved COVID-19 vaccination campaign for the 2021- 2022 period, the local health sector has, in a prompt fashion, implemented professional activities to carry out inoculations for the general public on a large scale upon the timely distribution of sufficient vaccine doses from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health.

A medical worker from the Da Nang Lung Hospital, the only medical facility in the city where COVID-19 imported cases are being treated, is injected with COVID-19 vaccine on March 12

As scheduled, based on the phased supply of vaccines, about 46,321 people residing across the city are expected to be inoculated against COVID-19 in the second and third quarters of this year. By the end of next year, more than 500,000 locals will have accessed a total of over 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

The Da Nang Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has just organised an online training programme on vaccination skills for medical staff at hospitals, district and commune-level health centres on vaccination.

According to doctor Ton That Thanh, Director of CDC Da Nang, the person who will be vaccinated is required to voluntarily sign the consent form for vaccination against COVID-19, and all information is updated on the national vaccination data portal.

These are important databases for pandemic prevention and control, and at the same time become useful immunisation diaries for a long-term use by the vaccinated.

By May 15, Da Nang is expected to the second batch of 6,300 COVID-19 vaccine doses from the Ministry of Health. However, those who will be vaccinated against COVID-19 must belong to lists of priority groups eligible for free access to vaccinations in line with the Ministry of Health’s guidance.

Besides medical staff and frontline workers against COVID-19, others in the priority list include teachers, diplomatic personnel, customs and immigration officers, those working in essential services like transport, people aged 65 and above, the poor and those with chronic diseases that make them more vulnerable to the disease. People who are seeking to study or work abroad or are living in pandemic-hit areas are also put on the priority list for COVID-19 vaccination.

Of special note, because the number of vaccine doses provided is very small, the priority will be given to inoculating the above-mentioned target subjects in communes /wards where locally- transmitted COVID-19 cases, or even deaths, are reported, districts having high population density and housing industrial zones, and other locales, deepening on vaccine distribution levels.

Under the regulations of the Ministry of Health, COVID-19 vaccination sites must meet strict standards for storing and preserving the vaccines, be arranged to include designated areas for reception, waiting, clinical screening, vaccination rooms, post-injection monitoring rooms, and anaphylactic treatment rooms with one-way rule, be equipped with anaphylactic treatment boxes, and comply with epidemic prevention regulations.

The Ministry of Health also requires pre-vaccination screening on all vaccinated people. Pre-injection screening is a very important step as those who show abnormal signs of health are not allowed to get vaccinated.

Also, the preservation of the vaccine doses must meet the standards set by Vietnamese Ministry of Health on the storage of vaccines for immunisation activities.

Previously, the Ministry of Health said, more than 50% of the vaccinated people suffered pain at the injection spot, whilst nearly 50% had fever, myalgia, and headache. About 10% experienced some other less-common symptoms such as diarrhea / abdominal pain which usually happened on two days after injection.

Therefore, it is suggested that vaccinated persons need to monitor their health and note ost-injection reactions, thus helping competent agencies make a correct vaccine judgment.

Municipal People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh affirmed, upon the reception of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the coming time, the local health sector must organise the vaccination campaign in a prompt fashion, especially using the available national expanded programme on immunisation.

If necessary, public and private immunisation service establishments across the city can be mobilised to join the vaccination campaign. In particular, the follow-up, post-vaccination surveillance and periodic surveillance must be strictly implemented.

Previously, Da Nang began its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on March 12 with 100 AstraZeneca shots prioritised for medical workers participating in coronavirus prevention tasks at the Lung Hospital, the only medical facility in the city where COVID-19 imported cases are being treated.

Till date, no community-transmitted cases of COVID-19  have been reported in Da Nang since the first local transmission cases were recorded in the northern province of Hai Duong in late January after nearly two months without local infections in Viet Nam.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – Translating by A.T