Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen on Tuesday announced that people in Da Nang will receive a third dose of coronavirus vaccines in the first quarter of 2022.

Healthcare workers and those at increased risk from the virus due to health conditions will be prioritised for their booster.

Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen chaired Tuesday’s meeting of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Photo: LE HUNG

Mrs Yen urged the health agency to administer COVID-19 vaccines to those who have yet to be jabbed before December 30.

The health agency plans to set up vaccination sites to help local residents get their vaccine at the most convenient and easy way. In addition, mobile vaccine clinics will be deployed to deliver coronavirus vaccines directly to the community, to those seniors who need to get this vaccine but they find it challenging to visit a vaccination site.

Da Nang will give first dose jabs to around 5,000 people from December 24 to 27. Booster vaccinations will be ready to be offered to about 8,000 eligible people from December 28. The city will have sufficient vaccines in the first quarter of 2022 to deliver booster jabs to all over-18s.

She remarked that local leadership must take responsibility if unvaccinated individuals in their locales test positive for the virus after December 30, except for those who have evidence of a medical contraindication.

Authorities at local level were asked to take even more drastic measures to contain new outbreaks. The worst-hit Lien Chieu District was urged to maximize available resources to control the spread of the virus in its emerging hotspot in Hoa Khanh Nam Ward.

Mrs Yen highlighted the need to step up to treat COVID-19 patients at home across the city in order to reduce the burden on local healthcare systems.

Doctor Ton That Thanh, the Director of the municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that 241 additional people were released from the field hospital in the west of Da Nang and the Lung Hospital on Tuesday, December 21, after being treated for COVID-19.

Da Nang has till date recorded 4,683 cases of COVID-19 after it has faced COVID-19 resurgence since October 16.

Currently, 2,005 infected patients are being treated at the field hospital, 94 others are receiving treatment at the Lung Hospital, and 9 in the Hoa Vang District Medical Centre.

Overall, 2,108 people, including 15 requiring critical care, are being treated for the coronavirus in Da Nang’s hospitals, of whom, 192 tested negative for the virus once while tests on 76 others came back negative twice.

In addition, 14 COVID patients with symptoms and 4 others with mild symptoms are placed on home recovery programme.

Reporting by LE HUNG – Translating by H.L