HCMC – The HCMC Department of Health has made a list of children aged between three and 11 and sought the Ministry of Health’s approval to vaccinate them against Covid-19, said head of the office of the department Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai.
At a press briefing on the fight against the pandemic in the city on November 1, Mai said the city is focusing on the vaccination of children aged between 12 and 17 and students and workers coming from other provinces to the city, the local media reported.
As for the vaccination of children aged between three and 11, the department will provide specific information after getting the Ministry of Health’s approval and providing specific guidelines.
The city is following the ministry’s instructions on the Covid-19 vaccination, Mai added.
Nguyen Hong Tam, deputy director of the HCMC Center for Disease Control, affirmed that children younger than 12 would not be vaccinated in the current vaccination drive as regulated by the Ministry of Health and recommended by the vaccine producer.
Children aged between 12 and 17 who have recovered from Covid-19 will get the Covid-19 vaccine after completing the 14-day quarantine period, instead of the stipulated six months for adults.
All children eligible for the vaccination but put under isolation during the vaccination drive will be given the vaccine later.
On October 14, the Ministry of Health allowed the vaccination of children aged between 12 and 17, making HCMC the first locality in the country to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to children. Since October 26, more than 445,000 children in the city have got one vaccine dose.
