HCMC – Vietnam expects to receive nearly 40 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from various sources this month, said Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen.
At an online meeting with localities on October 11, the deputy minister said more than 65 million additional doses were expected to be shipped to the country in the last two months of the year. He asked localities to accelerate the vaccination rate and formulate a vaccination plan for next year, the local media reported.
Laborers should be prioritized to get vaccinated to help enterprises resume their operations. In addition, all foreigners in Vietnam will have got the first dose before October 31.
According to the Vietnam General Department of Preventive Medicine and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Vietnam had received 87.7 million Covid-19 vaccine doses as of October 10. The Ministry of Health has allocated 81.7 million doses.
Deputy head of the Vietnam General Department of Preventive Medicine Nguyen Minh Hang said some 55 million doses have been administered nationwide. Nearly 39 million people have been jabbed, including 16 million people who have received both doses.
Eight localities have administered the first dose to over 90% of their residents aged 18 and above. The rate is 70%-80% in two localities, 50%-70% in four localities and less than 50% in the 49 remaining ones.
HCMC has received the most vaccines.
HCMC Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc said the city had administered 12.3 million doses to local residents. Of over seven million people who have been inoculated, 5.3 million people have been double-jabbed. The city has focused on vaccinating laborers so they can return to work.
