Health ministry plans Covid booster shots at year's end

At a session with the National Assembly, Long said Vietnam has had contracts and agreements to secure around 200 Covid-19 vaccine doses, and 125 million doses have arrived.

"We are speeding up the process to receive all the vaccine doses by the end of the year to vaccinate people for free," he said.

Vietnam has vaccinated around 84 percent of its adult population with at least one dose, and 40 percent have received two doses.

The Delta variant has upended several countries' Covid fight progress, said Long, adding that Vietnam also experienced its impacts in the fourth Covid-19 wave. But so far, epicenters like HCMC, Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai have been able to put infections and fatalities under control, he said.

There are still challenges that need to be addressed in the Covid-19 fight according to the government's report, including problems in forecasts, instructions and medical capabilities, Long said.

In the future, the government and the Ministry of Health would continue to bolster frameworks and structures of the health system to improve personnel, financial frameworks and medical services, he added.