Health officials call on people to get COVID-19 booster doses

State employees and workers receive COVID-19 booster shots after the launching ceremony. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is at risk of COVID-19
resurgence if people don’t get and local authorities stay
negligent and fail to accelerate vaccine advocacy, Deputy Minister of Health
Nguyen Thi Lien Huong told a Hanoi ceremony on July 5.

The event was held by the Vietnam General Confederation
of Labour (VGCL) and the Health Ministry to launch the rollout of the third and
fourth vaccine doses for state employees and workers nationwide.

Huong said as of July 4, more than 233 million COVID-19
vaccine doses had been administered in Vietnam, raising the primary vaccination
coverage among people aged 12 and above to approximately 100%.

Amidst the global uncertainties brought on by the pandemic
and the current virus re-emergence in several countries, Vietnam continues detecting
infections of new variants and is facing the risk of new outbreaks, she noted.

Photo: VNA

With people and organisations lowering guard against the
virus, many cities and provinces have not been making fast enough progress in
injecting boosters, the deputy minister noted, adding that the percentage of
people aged 18 and more receiving the third and fourth doses only reached about
67% and 31%, respectively.

Vaccination is the most effective tool against coronavirus, she
emphasised, urging all state employees and workers to have boosters inoculated on
schedule.

Over the last two months (from April 26 – June 24), Vietnam
reported 130,462 new cases of and 63 related deaths. Daily caseload
declined to below 700, the lowest in 12 months./.