Hanoi urges parents to get children vaccinated

"As per the city’s policy and recommendation by the health sector, after vaccination, students with antibodies will return to schools," Tran The Cuong, director of the municipal Department of Training and Education, told a meeting of the city's legislators.

Last week, Hanoi had suspended the use of the Pfizer vaccine from two batches in a campaign to immunize children from 12 to under 18 against Covid-19.

Numbered 124001 and 123002, the batches originally had the expiration date of November 30. However, upon a request by Pfizer Vietnam, the Drug Administration of Vietnam extended the use of the batches by another three months. The doses had to be in cold storage of between minus 90 and minus 60 degrees Celsius.

The doses were distributed by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to Hanoi and several other provinces on November 25.

For now, the capital city has covered 94.1 percent and 65.08 percent of high-school and secondary students, respectively, with the first dose, Cuong said.

Several northern provinces that had also received vaccines from the two batches have already administered them.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan told the press last Thursday that the extension of the expiration dates will not affect the vaccine's quality.