“After considering the pros and cons, I decided that my son needed a vaccination because of the the sharp increase in number of new infections in Hanoi and the appearance of a new coronavirus variant,” Hong Le, a parent in Ba Dinh, told VietNamNet.

But she changed her mind when receiving a notice from the son’s teacher and reading an article on November 30 about the extension of expiry dates of two Pfizer vaccine batches.

Manh Hung, a neighbor of Le, and his wife made the same decision.

“We felt anxious when reading news about the deaths after vaccinations. We need to listen to the news before making a decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Lan in Dong Da district sighed with relief as she didn’t have to make a choice. Her daughter’s school on December 1 informed parents about the suspension of immunization for seventh and eighth graders, because the school was going to be used as an immunization site for adults on that day.

Minh Tam in Tay Ho district said his family members went to bed late yesterday after receiving a message from the teacher that Tay Ho District Medical Center decided to suspend immunization for seventh and eighth graders, and that students would continue to study online on December 2.

Both Lan and Tam said they still want their children to get vaccinated but they feel anxious.

Van Thuy Duong, Deputy Headmaster of Luong The Vinh School, said her seventh and eighth graders were scheduled to be vaccinated on December 1. However, the information about the extension of expiry dates of two vaccine batches worries their parents. Many students have decided not to get vaccinated this time.

“Management board members lost sleep last night as parents called and sent messages about their worries about vaccinations,” Duong said.

However, Duong said the batch of vaccines used for her students on December 1 will expire in 2022, and are not vaccine doses with the date which has been extended on certain batches.

She stressed that getting vaccination is not compulsory, and parents have the right to decide.

The number of students choosing to be vaccinated on December 1 was relatively high.

“I told students to ask medical workers to show the vaccine bottles and the expiry dates. There was always a parent on the site to keep close watch over the immunization,” Duong said.

Pham Thi Le Hang, Head of Ha Dong Education Sub-department, said the district has been organizing immunization campaigns for secondary schools since early November, depending on the amount of vaccines allocated. On December 1, seventh and eighth graders at Phu La School were vaccinated.

“Hanoi authorities have suspended the use of the batches of vaccines with extended expiry dates. The batch of vaccine used today is valid until February 2022,” Hang said.

According to Hang, parents yesterday were shown vaccine batch numbers and the expiry date.

“In our instructions, we recommend that parents bring their children to immunization points, so that they can be together with their children during the process,” she said.

“We have asked teachers to keep a close watch over the children’s health,” she said.

Hang said that about 5 percent of students did not register for vaccinations.

“Vaccinations are not mandatory. Students register to get vaccinated on a voluntary basis. They can refuse a vaccination at the last minute even if they registered for a vaccination,” Hang said. “Unvaccinated students have the right to go to school just like vaccinated ones.” 

Ngan Anh - Thanh Hung

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