Viet Nam will implement a COVID-19 vaccination campaign from January 29, with an aim to give booster shots to all eligible adults within the first quarter of 2022.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

The campaign, launched by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at a recent conference of the Health Ministry, also targets the completion of full COVID-19 vaccination for all children from 12-17 years old by the end of January, while continuing to consider and prepare for vaccination for children from 5-11 years old.

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of COVID-19 cases, including infections of the Omicron variant, may rise strongly during the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival and this year’s festive season, putting high pressure on the health care system.

Viet Nam has so far detected 166 Omicron infections, including six found in the community, it said.

Therefore, the ministry expects that the Spring vaccination campaign will help reduce the number of fatal cases, and enable the reopening of schools in a safe manner.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the campaign will run until February 28 at national level, with the support of military and public security forces as well as other sectors.

Mobile vaccination posts and mobile emergency aid teams will also be set up to speed up the progress of the campaign, he said.

As of January 27, Viet Nam had recorded 2,203,208 COVID-19 cases, with 1,945,611 having recovered and 37,291 succumbing to the disease.

The fatality ratio in January 2022 is five out of 100,000 cases, down by two compared to December 2021.

Viet Nam has become one of the six countries with highest COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the world, with almost 100 percent of people of 18 years old and over receiving at least one shot of vaccine and 95 of them being fully inoculated. The corresponding ratios among children from 12 to 17 are 92 percent and 76 percent.

Source: VNA