HCMC – The country is seeing a surplus of 21.5 million Covid vaccine doses, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) told a teleconference on the fight against Covid yesterday (July 21).
Many cities and provinces have yet to receive the vaccine, leading to a large volume of Pfizer, Moderna and Vero Cell vaccine doses lying unused, said NIHE deputy head Duong Thi Hong.
She added that 16 of 63 cities and provinces have yet to register for the Covid vaccine for the rest of the year as required by the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the booster vaccination rate remained low.
Besides, the administration of the first and second shots for children under 12 has failed to meet expectations, the local media reported.
Due to the short-term shelf life of Covid vaccines — up to nine months, Hong urged local authorities to encourage residents who are still hesitant about getting vaccinated to get their shots.
Cities and provinces should promptly request Covid vaccine supplies for the second half of the year, and complete the inoculation of children in the third quarter of 2022, she said.
