HCMC – The HCMC government has approved the municipal Health Department’s proposal to shorten the interval between doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to six weeks from 8-12 weeks.
The shortening of the interval between the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the second dose of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine is aimed at speeding up the city’s vaccination process to quickly stop the spread of the disease, according to the municipal department.
According to the guidance of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine producer, the vaccine is administered four to 12 weeks apart, the local media reported.
The municipal department was tasked with informing residents about the shortened interval and its safety, and also explaining the efficacy of the second shot.
In related news, the Ministry of Health has allocated an additional 666,000 doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer to HCMC.
Over 620,000 Pfizer doses and 46,000 AstraZeneca doses will be distributed to the districts citywide today to raise the second dose coverage rate, according to the HCMC Department of Health.
As of September 23, HCMC had over 700,000 doses of Covid vaccines available, including 500,000 Vero Cell doses pending appraisal.
On September 23, the city administered some 74,000 doses, raising the city’s total doses given to residents to over nine million. Over 2.2 million people have been fully vaccinated.
