COVID-19 vaccination to be integrated into expanded immunization

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Thi Hong - Deputy Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, in the near future, Vietnam will not organize COVID-19 vaccination campaigns as before but will integrate them into the expanded immunization program. It is expected that each month, health stations will have 2-4 regular vaccination sessions.

The Deputy Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology affirmed that the unit is fully capable of maintaining the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain.

Since 2021, our country has organized COVID-19 vaccination in the form of a large-scale campaign for all age groups. To date, the total number of injections performed is more than 266 million.

According to WHO's updated recommendations, priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination include: older adults at high risk of COVID-19, people with immunodeficiency, people with underlying medical conditions, chronic medical conditions, and people with immunodeficiency.

Ms. Hong said that immunity from COVID-19 vaccines, like other vaccines, gradually decreases over time. Therefore, people with underlying diseases and immunodeficiency need to proactively register for booster shots to prevent the disease. Even people with COVID-19 still continue to receive booster shots according to WHO guidelines.

Experts from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology informed that vaccination facilities still have the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. According to WHO recommendations, although the COVID-19 epidemic is no longer a global public health emergency, the pandemic has not ended. Therefore, Vietnam still needs to maintain epidemic prevention measures, including COVID-19 vaccination and booster vaccination for high-risk groups.

According to VTC News