Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh talks to health workers at the campaign launch on July 10 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the largest-ever immunisation
drive in Vietnam, kicked off with a ceremony held on July 10.
Minister
of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the campaign, to be conducted from July 2021 to April 2022,
targeting people aged 18 and above, is the largest of its kind in the country,
with the ultimate goal of protecting people’s health and lives and bring life
back to normal early.
Under
the Government and the Prime Minister’s directions, the Ministry of Health and
relevant ministries and sectors have exerted every effort to acquire COVID-19 vaccines
amid a global vaccine shortage.
So
far, Vietnam has secured 105 million vaccine doses for this year and is working
to get 150 million doses so as to achieve herd immunity in late 2021 or early
2022.
This
July, more than 8 million doses are set to be delivered to Vietnam, which is on time for the pandemic’s complex developments in Ho Chi Minh City and some
other southern localities, Long added.
Addressing
the launch, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said to help the country eliminate
the pandemic, the Party and State are determined to carry out the vaccine
strategy.
Particularly,
the COVID-19 vaccine fund has attracted great support from people both at home
and abroad and enterprises. It has so far received donations worth more than 8
trillion VND (348 million USD), which is being spent on purchasing vaccines for
people, he noted.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (front, fourth from right), Vietnamese officials, and representatives of international organisations at the launch on July 10 (Photo: VNA)
The
first vaccine doses arriving in Vietnam have been prioritised for frontline
forces, and they have been distributed in a fair, equal, open, transparent,
flexible, and effective manner, he remarked, elaborating that the previous vaccine
batches were provided for workers and residents in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang,
which were being hit hard by COVID-19 in the past few months, but vaccines are
now prioritised for HCM City and nearby provinces where the pandemic situation
is developing complicatedly.
Stressing
the need for good coordination in vaccine distribution, PM Chinh said to
implement the vaccine strategy, the Party and State will also step up domestic
production and import of vaccines so as to secure vaccine supply for every year.
He
took this occasion to call for the entire people’s unanimity, solidarity,
support, and sense of community responsibility to defeat the pandemic while
also asking people to stay vigilant, even after getting inoculated, and
seriously comply with the Health Ministry’s guidelines.
In
his speech, the Government leader lauded efforts by frontline forces such as
healthcare, military, and public security personnel, along with people’s
support for the COVID-19 combat and the vaccination campaign.
Prior
to the launch, PM Chinh visited the operation centre of the national COVID-19
vaccination campaign, based at the headquarters of the Ministry of National
Defence.
This
centre works around the clock and is connected with the National Steering
Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the 63 provinces and cities,
along with military regions across Vietnam./.