Da Nang will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 on Friday, April 22, affirmed doctor Truong Van Trinh, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health.

Accordingly, the first phase of the vaccination programme for kids will take place from April 22 to 25 and 27.

A total of 10,300 Moderna doses of 0.25ml each will be administered in this phase.

Subjects of injection are children from 6 to below 12 years old, in which priority will be given to the 11-year-olds who are sixth graders at junior high schools across the city.

There will be 8 injection sites, namely the Da Nang Oncology Hospital, the Tien Son Sports Arena, Western Dormitory, and the Cultural and Information Centers of Thanh Khe, Son Tra, Cam Le, Ngu Hanh Son and Hoa Vang districts.

Vaccination work will be organised in the form of a roll-up by school, district and ward/commune with heed to ensuring children’s safety and inoculation efficiency.

In particular, children infected with COVID-19 can be vaccinated and be injected with the same basic doses of the same vaccine after recovering from the disease for at least three months.

At the injection sites, doctors will carry out pre-inoculation health screening of children, especially  learning about the child's COVID-19 contraction history, post-immunisation monitoring to first aid and guiding parents in how to take care of their children, particularly those with post-injection reactions.

Accordingly, after vaccination, children need to be monitored for at least 30 minutes right at the vaccination site. Health staff shall instruct parents and guardians to closely monitor the vaccinated at home within 24 hours and continue monitoring within 28 days after inoculation, especially within the first 7 days after vaccinations, on signs of general condition, mental, eating, sleeping, breathing, rash, symptoms at injection sites.

The common side effects of the Moderna vaccine include lymph node swelling, headaches, nausea, muscle and joint pains, injection site pain, chills, fevers, swelling and/or rashes at the injection site, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, diarrhoea, rashes, and dermographic urticaria are common side effects at injection sites.
The child's relatives need to contact hospitals or medical facilities if they have abnormal health after vaccination.

It is an urgent need to go to the nearest hospital or medical facility immediately when the children have one of the signs such as high fever (≥390C), cyanosis, difficulty breathing or when the usual reaction lasts more than 24 hours after getting jabs.

In case a serious accident occurs while vaccination is being carried out, the head of the vaccination facility is responsible for immediately stopping the vaccination process, providing emergency treatment and reporting the incident as prescribed.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – Translating by A.THU