HCMC to begin vaccinating children on Wednesday

Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy director of the health department, said the department has cooperated with the HCMC Pasteur Institute on Tuesday to train medical workers from hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities in the city regarding vaccination for children. Around 3,900 workers have signed up for training.

Hung said around 780,000 children aged 12-17 in the city would be vaccinated. They would receive their first shots within five days, and children aged 16-17 would be prioritized for vaccination, before passing to other ages.

Previously on Monday, the HCMC health department requested the HCMC Pasteur Institute to approve the usage of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12-17.

The institute is expected to give an answer on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the Health Ministry approved Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 12-17, prioritizing those aged 16-17. It has yet to specify exactly what types of vaccine would be used, but they have to come in two doses and children must receive both shots of the same vaccine.

Children will be vaccinated if their parents or legal guardians give consent, it said.

So far, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this particular age range.

Vietnam has vaccinated 52.6 million adults with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shots. 21.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Children under 18 account for around 17 percent of all Covid-19 infections in Vietnam, according to data from the health ministry.