HCMC – Binh Duong, the second largest coronavirus hotspot in the country behind HCMC, will administer one million doses of China’s Vero Cell Covid-19 vaccine, shared by HCMC, to its residents, mainly in areas with an extremely high risk of pandemic transmission.
Nguyen Van Loi, secretary of the Binh Duong Province Party Committee and head of the provincial steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control, said on August 30 that the province would receive the vaccines this week. The province is in dire need of Covid-19 vaccines to reach herd immunity and return to normal life, the local media reported.
Binh Duong has administered Covid-19 vaccines to nearly one million people, including 42,000 people receiving two shots. It needs two more million doses for residents aged from 18.
The province has so far recorded 110,258 Covid-19 cases. The figure is forecast to reach 150,000 in the next two weeks.
During a visit to Binh Duong on August 27, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the province’s leadership to bring the pandemic under control before September 15. This month, the Ministry of Health will prioritize vaccines for Binh Duong to vaccinate its residents in areas with a high number of Covid-19 cases, including Thuan An, Di An and Thu Dau Mot cities and Tan Uyen Town.
Vero Cell has been approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use and has been administered in many countries and territories.
In Vietnam, the vaccine has been used in some localities, such as Quang Ninh, Haiphong and HCMC. Dong Nai has also received 500,000 Vero Cell doses from HCMC to vaccinate residents in extremely-high-risk areas this week.
