HCM City plans to vaccinate two-thirds of the population by late 2021.

Ho Chi Minh City asked the Government to allow local businesses to seek and purchase Covid-19 vaccines from reputable manufacturers and distributors and sign contracts to hire professional vaccination agencies to implement vaccination programs for their employees.

The proposal was made, according to the HCM City People's Committee, because the situation of Covid-19 in the city has become more complicated. The number of locally-transmitted cases in the city has been on the rise in recent days. In order to prevent the spread, the city has mobilized available resources to participate in the fight against the epidemic, from medical staff to forces of local authorities, agencies and communities.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has over 7.2 million people aged 18 and over. The number of workers in industrial zones is over 1.6 million people. However, so far, the city has only received 140,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine and has vaccinated 64,366 people with one dose and 10,179 people with two doses.

In order to achieve the goal of herd immunity with over 70% of the city's population vaccinated as soon as possible, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee said that buying vaccines is an urgent matter.

The city needs the Government’s assistance to quickly buy vaccines for mass vaccination. At a recent meeting, Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said that the city plans to vaccinate two-thirds of the population by late 2021.

In the latest news, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has allowed the Ho Chi Minh City Municipal People’s Committee to purchase and import COVID-19 vaccines by itself.

The city is one of the 40 localities currently hit by the fourth wave of COVID-19 resurgence that started on April 27, with 961 community infection cases as of 6:30 pm on June 15.

As it has been allocated 140,000 vaccine doses from the central Government, the city needs more autonomy to accelerate vaccination in order to reach the goal of herd immunity.

Under the Government’s Resolution No. 21/NQ-CP dated February 26, 2021, the Government tasks the Ministry of Health to be responsible for licensing, checking and managing the quality of vaccines. The ministry is also responsible for providing vaccination guidelines to ensure safety and effectiveness.

Ho Van

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