HCM City kicks off largest ever COVID-19 vaccination campaign

ABO/NDO – The largest ever COVID-19 vaccination campaign with 786,000 doses distributed to Ho Chi Minh City kicked off on June 19.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh praised tireless efforts of local officials and people in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, especially unanimous cooperation of local residents with the municipal authorities to effectively cope with the health crisis.

He requested local residents to continue strictly following with pandemic prevention and control measures in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, especially the 5K message, comprising khau trang (face masks), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distancing), khong tu tap (no gatherings), and khai bao y te (health declarations).

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh visits the COVID-19 vaccination area. (Photo: VGP).

Although the supply of vaccines is limited, the State and Government are making every effort so that people can have access to vaccines as soon as possible, especially in high-risk areas, he affirmed.

Ho Chi Minh City is currently a hotspot in the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks, so the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control decided to immediately allocate 786,000 doses out of 1 million doses of vaccine donated by Japan to the city.

Binh asked the city to well perform the reception and preservation of the vaccine, and the organisation of vaccination in accordance with regulations.

According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Huu Hung, 650 injection stations will be organised across the city, including mobile stations. The campaign is expected to be completed before June 27.

Hung said HCM City is speeding up negotiations with vaccine suppliers and looking for vaccine sources, aiming to continue expanding vaccination for local residents, moving towards herd immunity as quickly as possible. It has set a goal that by the end of 2021, two-thirds of the city's population will be vaccinated against COVID-19.

In a related move, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan emphasised the need to take safety first in COVID-19 vaccination when he addressing an online training session to ensure the safety of vaccination on the same day.

To ensure safe vaccination, the health sector must make every effort from closely monitoring the preservation and transportation of vaccines to ensure safe vaccination, and quickly and effectively handle cases of post-injection reactions, he stressed.

Thuan asked medical staff to strictly follow professional instructions, and pay attention to the treatment and emergency work in order to ensure that any injection is safe.

(Source: NDO)