According to statistics displayed on the Viet Nam Immunization Portal, as of November 16 morning, 100,971,869 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered to people nationwide.

About 87% of the adult population nationwide has till date received at least one dose of vaccine, while 47% have received two jabs against the highly contagious disease.

Out of the total 63 provinces and cities, there were only 9 provinces where the number of people in the age group eligible for receiving at least one dose of vaccine is less than 90%, namely Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Thai Nguyen, Son La, Quang Binh, Ha Giang and Hoa Binh.

As for vaccination for children aged 12 – 17 (16-17 years old given the higher priority for the time being), up to now, 16 provinces and cities have started vaccination against COVID-19 for this age range, namely Ho Chi Minh City, Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Lang Son, and Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Soc Trang, An Giang, Vinh Long, Binh Duong, Kien Giang, Ca Mau and Hau Giang.

Viet Nam aims to finish administering 150 million doses of vaccine valued at a total of around US$1.1 billion for 75 million people, or 75% of the entire population by April 2022 to achieve the target of herd immunity.

The country started its COVID-19 vaccination drives in March 2021 with the first shots of Astra Zeneca vaccine administered to frontline forces in Ha Noi, HCMC and the northern province of Hai Duong, then a Covid hotspot. Many localities, since late August, speeded up the vaccination rollouts.

Viet Nam has reached agreements and contracts to secure nearly 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from different sources. It has so far received approximately 125 million doses. The Ministry of Health has allocated about 113 million doses and it plans to inoculate people with a booster shot later this year and next year.

The Ministry of Health has approved nine COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in Viet Nam. They are Astra Zeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Vero Cell, Hayat-Vax, Abdala, SputnikV, and Covaxin. However, the commonly used vaccines are Astra Zeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Vero Cell.

Reporting by baochinhphu.vn – Translating by A. THU