A man gets his COVID-19 vaccine shot (Photo: VNA)

The country is sparing no effort to complete vaccinating its citizens in late 2021 or early 2022, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at a meeting of the national steering committee for the 2021-2022 COVID-19 vaccination drive held on July 2.

The minister said the goal is a huge requirement. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for herd immunity by 2023, and that of other countries is within 2022 and in early 2023.

Earlier, in the Government’s regular meeting on July 1, Long said Vietnam is scheduled to receive 30 million doses of vaccines in the third quarter of 2021.

According to the minister, Vietnam received commitments to be provided with 105 million doses and is negotiating for an additional 45 million doses this year.

As of July 1, more than 3.81 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered nationwide, including more than 2.57 million doses in June alone. As many as 204,000 people have received both shots.

Large-scale screening ordered to serve COVID-19 vaccination drive

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long has requested all medical facilities nationwide to conduct health screening and classify those aged from 18 and above who plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of the 2021 – 2022 vaccination drive, the biggest of its kind in the nation.

The request was made at a meeting of the steering committee for the drive on July 2.

According to the minister, Vietnam has signed agreements for 105 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be delivered this year. However, due to a global shortage, the deliveries can be late, with the vaccines likely to come in droves in the fourth quarter this year.

As such, the drive is required to be implemented nationwide in a more effective and faster manner. It will see vaccination taking place across 19,000 locations such as commune-level medical establishments and mobile vaccination facilities.

Regarding the health screening, Long asked the subcommittee for vaccination safety to conduct relevant training on safe vaccination procedures for health personnel involved./.

Source: VNA

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