Da Nang is scheduled to offer coronavirus vaccines to senior high school students aged 15 to18 next week following a meeting of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control held late on Friday, October 29.

The meeting, chaired by municipal People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim and attended by members of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, education and health department officials was held to discuss plans to vaccinate senior high school students against COVID-19 in a an attempt to provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalization after they go back to the classroom.

Vice Chairwoman Yen delivered her instructions at Friday’s meeting of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Photo: LE HUNG

Mrs Yen said that the city’s COVID-19 vaccination program will likely peak in November with a focus on offering first life-saving jabs to senior high school students and second shots to those who got the single dose.

Education and health department officials were tasked to work closely with leaders of authorities and schools to identify all eligible students for booster shots.

Doctor Ton That Thanh, the Director of the municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that the 15 to 18-year-olds will be offered the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which have been approved by the Ministry of Health.

Close to 50,000 senior high school students across Da Nang will be eligible for a first vaccine shot to protect them from COVID-19 and minimise any disruption to their education, Mr Thanh said.

He also remarked that Da Nang will begin its school vaccines rollout on November 2, and the administration of school vaccines will be carried out in 2 days. Second doses will be administered four week later after the first.

The Da Nang CDC will provide training for COVID-19 vaccinators on Sunday, October 31 in order to give the vaccine to senior high school students safely and effectively.

Vice Chairwoman Yen asked authorities at local level to increase checks and enhance monitoring of production facilities, eating and drinking establishments to make sure they are complying with the city’s rules around QR code check-in for visitor management or face tough penalties for non-compliance in an attempt to mitigate the risk of virus spread.

Authorities at local level and the health agency were asked to set up mobile medical stations and groups of medical workers to take care of COVID-19 patients in the community. Mrs Yen highlighted the need for the health agency to prepare for potential increases in COVID-19 cases.

Mrs Yen underscored the necessity to conduct comprehensive contact tracing of each confirmed case and quickly identify all COVID-19 contacts, as well as ramp up testing and isolating efforts in a bid to suppress the virus.

Reporting by LE HUNG – Translating by H.L