Prioritize vaccine access for HCMC, southern localities: Deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on Tuesday said the government would prioritize the aforementioned localities heavily affected by the coronavirus, especially as Ho Chi Minh City aims to vaccinate 70 percent of its residents 18 and above within this month.

While the Ministry of Health has managed to negotiate an amount of Covid-19 vaccines to help let the country achieve herd immunity, it is unclear when these batches would arrive.

HCMC has received nearly 4.2 million Covid vaccine doses out of the nation's 19 million, and has administered 3.4 million doses.

Regarding the rising number of new cases in certain localities despite ongoing social distancing orders, Dam said people have failed to strictly adhere to these measures. If these are followed correctly, results would show themselves after two weeks, he added.

Regarding Covid-19 treatment, Dam said related regimens should begin as soon as a patient displays even mild symptoms. The goal is to reduce the rate where mild Covid-19 cases escalate into more severe ones, he stressed.

Vietnam has recorded 228,939 local Covid-19 cases so far since the fourth coronavirus wave hit the country in late April. HCMC remains the epicenter, with 131,879 cases recorded, followed by its industrial neighbors Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai.