7 mln Moderna vaccine doses for children to arrive in April from Australia

By Chi Le April 6, 2022 | 08:18 pm PT

Vials of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine are seen at Apotex pharmaceutical company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 13, 2021. Photo by Reuters/Carlos Osorio

Over seven million Moderna Covid-19 vaccine doses for children aged 6-11, donated by Australia, are expected to arrive in Vietnam this month, the health ministry announced.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said the vaccine would arrive in three batches, with the first batch of around a million doses coming on Saturday.

The second batch with around two million doses would come on April 13, and the third before April 18, he added.

Vaccination will begin as soon as the doses arrive, with parents or guardians' consent, starting with the eldest ones in the age group.

Around 11.8 million Vietnamese children aged 5-11 are eligible for vaccination, according to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Vietnam has approved two types of Covid-19 vaccines for children: Pfizer for children aged 5-11 and Moderna for children aged 6-11. A full course of each vaccine requires two shots.