Preparing all conditions for vaccination against Covid-19 for children

Under the Ministry of Health’s Official Letter No. 8688/BYT-DP on Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 12 and 17, localities in the province have prepared all conditions to organize safe vaccination sessions. It is estimated that the whole province will have about 180,000 children aged 12 and 17 being vaccinated against Covid-19 in this batch.

About 180,000 children aged 12-17 to be vaccinated against Covid-19

According to statistics from localities, it is estimated that there are about 180,000 children aged 12-17 in the province. Provincial Department of Health has also sent an official dispatch to the Ministry of Health, estimating that the demand for the first shot of Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 -17 is about 180,000 doses. So far, the whole province has administered more than 3.7 million doses out of a total of more than 5.3 million doses of vaccines allocated by the Ministry of Health on people. There are 96% of the population aged 18 and above getting the first shot and about 70% of the population with the second shot.

Along with speeding up the injection of the 2^nd shot of Covid-19 vaccine for people, the province is also urgently making a list of children aged 12-17 for vaccination in the coming time. In picture: People in Thu Dau Mot city get vaccinated against Covid-19

Dr.Nguyen Hong Chuong, Director of provincial Department of Health said that according to the Ministry of Health, in early November 2021, a campaign to vaccinate against Covid-19 for children will be held nationwide with Comirnaty vaccine manufactured by r-BioNTech of the United States. This vaccine is safe for children. The vaccination against Covid-19 will be done first for children aged between 16 and 17. Only children with a written agreement from parents or guardians will be vaccinated. They will have their health checked before the vaccination. On October 29, the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology will organize a training program on child vaccination for all provinces and cities nationwide. For children at a younger age, the Ministry of Health has planned to deploy vaccinations in 2022 on the basis of science and vaccine update for children.

As noted, localities have urgently rechecked the list of children aged 12-17. Pham Van Bay, Vice-Chairman of Di An city’s People's Committee said: “According to the list, the whole city has about 26,000 children aged 12 -17. In addition to direct propaganda, the city has increased propaganda through loudspeakers and social networks so that parents and children can understand the benefits of vaccination against Covid-19 for children. Meanwhile, in Thu Dau Mot City, in order not to miss out vaccination subjects, localities are also rechecking and making a list of of children at charity classes, those selling lottery tickets...Nguyen Thu Cuc, Chairwoman of the city’s People's Committee said that through a survey from students' parents, most of them have so far agreed to vaccinate their children. The city is directing wards to further make propaganda and mobilization so that families can feel secure, allowing their children to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Through talking to us, most of the local leaders said that all preparations for Covid-19 vaccination on children have been finished and are waiting for the official plan from provincial People's Committee. Rechecking and making a list of injection for children from the 6^th  to 12^th grades will be implemented by provincial Department of Health in collaboration with provincial Department of Education and Training. For children of this age group who do not attend school, provincial Department of Health will work with local authorities to make a list for vaccination.

Safe vaccination for children

Talking about necessary requirements when organizing a Covid-19 vaccination session for children, Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong said: "In the local plan to vaccinate against Covid-19 for children aged from 12 to 17 submitted to provincial People's Committee for approval, the top requirement in vaccination organization is to ensure safety. The Department has also planned, directed localities and units to strengthen monitoring of children's post-injection reactions for timely solutions in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s regulations. According to Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong, children in this age group are quite sensitive, so it is necessary for localities to organize vaccinations carefully. The vaccination process needs to be well prepared and trained to ensure safety during the injection.

According to the Ministry of Health, the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign for children will be similar to the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 over the past time with injection sites at communes, wards ‘health stations, schools, health centers and hospitals (for some children with underlying diseases, obesity). Localities need to perform pre-injection screening and post-injection monitoring in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s current guidelines.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhat Hang, Director of provincial Department of Education and Training said: "Under the directions of the Ministry of Education and Training, provincial Party Committee, provincial People's Committee, the Department is proactive and ready to coordinate with the Department of Health to organize Covid-19 vaccinations for students. The Department has also requested educational institutions and localities to recheck and make a list of students for Covid-19 vaccination; coordinate with the local health sector to complete a database on propaganda and mobilization so that parents and students are clearly aware of the effects of Covid-19 vaccination, prevention and control. This helps parents have a sense of responsibility in coordinating with schools to carry out Covid-19 vaccination for students, ensuring safety for them when going to school."

Le Thi Hong Dao, parent of a student at An My high school in Thu Dau Mot city’s Phu My ward shared: “I and many other parents are very happy when hearing the school’s announcement to recheck a list of students for Covid-19 vaccination. At present, the pandemic is still complicated and unpredictable, so it is necessary to vaccinate children so that they can have antibodies to protect themselves and return to school soon”.

According to statistics from localities, it is estimated that there are about 180,000 children aged between 12 and 17 in the province. Provincial Department of Health has also sent an official dispatch to the Ministry of Health, estimating that the demand for the first shot of Pfizer vaccine for children aged between 12 and 17 is about 180,000 doses. The vaccination against Covid-19 will be done first for children aged between 16 and 17.

Reported by Hoang Linh-Translated by Kim Tin