Speaking at the National Assembly session on November 8, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that the Covid-19 pandemic is still developing, causing losses in health, life and economy of countries around the world. The current outbreak has turned achievements in epidemic control of many countries upside down.

Since detecting the first Covid-19 case, Vietnam has experienced three outbreaks and is now in the fourth wave. To deal with this unprecedented pandemic, countries must both fight against the pandemic while learning from experience and continuously adjusting policies.

He pointed out shortcomings in the pandemic response plan, such as poor forecasting, slow treatment, confusion and a lack of coordination. The Government and the Ministry of Health will focus on restructuring the healthcare system, improving the quality of human resources and healthcare services and reforming financial mechanisms, he said. 

He also said that up to now, Vietnam has reached agreements for 200 million vaccine doses and has received about 125 million doses.

The vaccination campaign has been implemented successfully. By November 7, the country had given more than 90 million doses with more than 83.8% of people aged 18 years old receiving at least one dose and more than 40% of people aged 18 years and older getting two doses of the vaccine. Vietnam has sufficient vaccines for the vaccination program this year and it plans to give the third booster dose of vaccine later this year and early next year.

Vietnam is one of the 20 countries worldwide that have administered the most doses of Covid-19 vaccines, ranking second in Southeast Asia and seventh in Asia. It is also among the three countries with the fastest vaccination pace.

The Ministry of Health is finalizing the Master Strategy for Covid-19 prevention and control in the coming time.

Tran Thuong - Huong Quynh

Over 90mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Vietnam, 83% of adults received at least one shot

More than 90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Vietnam so far, according to the figures from the National COVID-19 Vaccine Portal on Monday.