If the city has enough approved vaccines for children aged 12-17, the city will begin Covid vaccination of children in the 12-17 age group.
According to the population change data, it is estimated that the number of people aged 12-17 in HCMC is about 700,000. With its current capacity and speed of vaccination, the southern metropolis will complete the first dose of vaccine for all 12-17-year-olds in a week.
On the same day, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) said that on October 14, the city had administered the Covid-19 vaccines to 37,873 people. So far, approximately 12,506,686 people have received the Covid-19 vaccines including 5,403,926 people getting two doses of the vaccines.
Currently, 98.5 percent of people over 18 years old in the city have been inoculated at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccines while 75 percent have had two vaccine jabs. The rate of people over 65 years old who received two doses of vaccine is 86.51 percent while 74.5 percent of people over 50 years old have been getting vaccine jabs.
Ho Chi Minh City has administrated about 3,166,713 Vero Cell vaccine doses to adults. Most residents over 18 years old in outlying district Cu Chi, District 5 and District 11 have received two doses of the vaccine. Some localities also have a high rate of people over 18 years old getting two doses of vaccines such as Phu Nhuan District with 99 percent, District 7 with 99 percent, Nha Be District with 95 percent, and District 10 with 95 percent.
Also on October 15, the Ministry of Health sent a dispatch to secretaries of party committees and heads of the steering committees for Covid-19 Prevention and Control; chairpersons of people's committees of provinces and cities nationwide on strengthening vaccination.
Under the dispatch, from now until the end of October 2021, the Ministry will supply vaccines against Covid-19 to ensure a high vaccine coverage rate to gradually switch to the new normal state.
The Ministry proposed to accelerate vaccination for those aged 18 years old up to improve vaccine coverage rate as well as administration of vaccination for those aged 12-17 according to the Ministry’s guidance.
Moreover, the Ministry asked directors of departments of health in cities and provinces and heads of ministries, departments, and private hospitals to pay visits to medical facilities to check the implementation of the Ministry’s instructions of Covid-19 testing. The Ministry was determined to curb abuse of testing which puts a heavy burden on patients’ especially inpatients who must stay in infirmaries for a long time.
The Departments of Health in Hanoi and HCMC were asked to report on the implementation of Covid-19 testing and fee collection; additionally, the two departments must impose punishments on medical facilities which have violated the regulations. Reports must be sent to the Ministry before October 18.
The Ministry of Health recorded 3,797 new Covid-19 cases throughout Vietnam yesterday evening, together with 918 recoveries and 93 fatalities.
