HCMC – More than 1.5 million booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered to people 18 and older in 40 cities and provinces in Vietnam by December 29.
The number of booster shots given in southern Vietnam was 950,000, more than 496,000 in the northern region, and over 41,000 in the central and Central Highlands regions, according to the Ministry of Health.
Hanoi City, Nghe An, HCMC, Ben Tre and Tay Ninh accounted for a majority of the booster shots administered.
In addition, nearly 845,000 additional doses have been given to adults in 28 provinces and cities.
On December 17, the ministry allowed administering booster doses to adults, especially those having underlying health problems and those aged over 50.
The ministry also told the cities and provinces to accelerate the booster vaccination program to increase protection from infection of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant.
On December 28, the ministry reported the first infection with Omicron in Vietnam. The infected male passenger arrived from the UK through the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on December 19.
Between March and December 28, Vietnam took delivery of over 188 million doses of Covid vaccines, with 175.1 million allocated to cities and provinces.
More than 148 million shots have been administered nationwide. Thirty of 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam have achieved a full vaccination rate of over 90%, the local media reported.
Besides, over 11.7 million doses have been given to children aged 12 to 17 nationwide.
