HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has reiterated an order giving free Covid-19 vaccines to all people and assigned the Ministry of Health to take responsibility for vaccine storage and vaccination process.
“It is definite that residents must be vaccinated against Covid-19 for free,” the prime minister told an online anti-virus conference between the Government with provincial and municipal governments on August 15.
The prime minister also ordered the competent ministries to impose harsh sanctions on those who collect vaccination fees.
Besides, PM Chinh encouraged localities and enterprises to find Covid-19 vaccine supply sources, while the Ministry of Health was tasked with evaluating the quality of the vaccines.
To reduce the Covid death rate, the prime minister ordered the ministry and provinces and cities to give the vaccination priority for people aged over 50, while setting up separate vaccination sites for the elderly.
In addition, the prime minister also told provinces and cities to handle the hesitation in receiving shots and the choosing of vaccines among residents due to the shortage of vaccines and the rapid spread of the virus.
Vietnam has taken delivery of some 19 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Some 14 million doses have been administered nationwide, with some 1.3 million people receiving both doses.
Nineteen provinces and cities in the southern region, which is being hit hard by the pandemic, have given 7.5 million doses to residents, with HCMC alone administering some 4.5 million doses.
By Hoang Thang
