Vietnam plans Covid-19 jabs for children, teens

The ministry's experts are also discussing the form of vaccination implementation, either at school or locality of residence, Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen told an online conference with 63 provinces and cities to evaluate Covid-19 vaccination Monday.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan said the ministry is working on guidelines and that it is expected Vietnam would start vaccinating those aged 12-17 against Covid-19 within this month before expanding the plan to younger kids.

Health experts in Ho Chi Minh City had on Oct. 9 called for a plan to vaccinate children against Covid-19 as the city is planning to open schools in early 2022.

On Aug. 28, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education and Training to plan for children and teens to be vaccinated so the new school year could begin safely.

The health ministry would need to determine which type of Covid-19 vaccine is frequently used by other countries to vaccinate children aged 12 and above while the education ministry should collaborate with the health ministry to aid with vaccination, he ordered.

Nguyen Thanh Hung, director of Children’s Hospital No. 1 in HCMC, said the Covid-19 mortality rate in children is not high compared to adults, but that the disease could leave long-term impact on children's physical and mental health, pending further research.

Several countries have already immunized children and adolescents between 12 and 18 while some countries have given the jab to those aged 5-12, along with those from two years old as in Cuba.

Vietnam now has 25 million children.

So far, the nation has vaccinated 55 million against Covid-19, with 16 million double-jabbed.