COVID-19 vaccinations must be safe, effective: Deputy PM

Injecting COVID-19 vaccine on volunteers (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The must ensure the safety and efficiency of Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccination
programme, under the instructions of the Politburo and the Government, Deputy Prime
Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19
Prevention and Control on March 5.

The Deputy PM, who is also head of the Steering Committee, stressed that safety
must be as high as possible and that if something goes wrong it must be handled
calmly.

Though COVID-19 has been largely brought under control in Vietnam, relevant agencies
must continue to maintain readiness and vigilance, he said.

Dam
called on people to strictly follow
the Ministry of Health’s
“5K” message: Khau trang (facemasks)
– Khu khuan (disinfecting) – Khoang cach (distancing) – Khong tu tap (no gathering)
– Khai bao y te (health declaration).

Schools, health facilities, factories, markets, supermarkets, and accommodation
establishments, he went on, need to actively self-assess their safety level in disease
prevention and control and update information on the COVID-19 Safe Living Map System (www.antoancovid.vn).

He praised the efforts of the ministry in accessing foreign sources of COVID-19
vaccines and promoting vaccine research and production in the country.

The Ministry of Health is responsible for organising vaccinations in a
safe and effective manner and promoting communications to raise public
awareness.

chairs a meeting of the National Steering Committee for Prevention and Control on March 5 (Photo: VNA)

He underlined the need to accelerate domestic vaccine research, production, and testing, noting that these must comply
with all steps in the fastest time possible.

Vietnam is expected to have sufficient vaccines for 100 million people if research
and development is successful, he said, adding that this is an opportunity for the country to lift its vaccine research capacity to a new level, enabling it to respond
to other diseases that may strike in the future.

The Deputy PM also ordered the Ministry of Health
to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism to urgently build and issue relevant instructions and guidelines to create favourable conditions for those that have been given COVID-19 vaccines
abroad to enter Vietnam./.