The Hanoi Department of Health started the Covid-19 vaccination campaign for children aged five to eleven on April 16 afternoon with nearly one thousand sixth graders getting their first shots.

The first batch of vaccines administered to Hanoi’s children in that age group against the novel coronavirus was Australian-funded Moderna doses, which were first rolled out in the city’s three outskirt districts of Ha Dong, Soc Son, and Phu Xuyen.

Before getting inoculated, students presented their pre-immunization screening sheets with their parents’ signatures agreeing to the inoculation. After receiving their shots, the students were monitored for 60 minutes instead of the usual 30 minutes for adults.

Within three first days after injection, children should not play sports or other games requiring strong movements, and they can return to such activities from the fourth day at a milder level than usual, advised Dr. Nguyen Viet Kien, one of the doctors in charge of the pre-vaccination examination.

“Parents are also recommended to closely monitor their children after immunization to detect any abnormalities early. The recommended gap between doses is four weeks. For children, both doses must be of the same vaccine,” Dr. Kien said.

Sharing with The Hanoi Times via phone, Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha said that the city’s health sector was fully equipped with medical equipment and human resources to meet the vaccination campaign in the best way.

“During the past days, teachers and health workers at schools across the citywide made all preparations for the vaccination drive, including pre-immunization screening examination for students to ensure the safety first. We have also held training classes for all medical staff participating in the vaccination on screening, first aid, and emergency response,” Ha said.

Besides Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines will be used to vaccine children in the age group by the Ministry of Health’s instructions. The Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) on April 15 received around 73,000 Moderna Covid-19 vaccine doses for children aged 5-11.

“Vaccination will be prioritized from the eldest in the age group to the lowest, sixth graders are the first, followed by lower grades orderly under the health ministry’s guidance. There are currently around a million children in the age range in Hanoi. The vaccination campaign for children aged 5-11 will begin citywide tomorrow [April 18],” Ha added.

Her department currently aims to administer Covid-19 vaccines among over 95% of children aged 5-11 in the city by the second quarter. “It expects the first-shot vaccination of children to be completed by May 15 and the second-shot coverage to finish in June,” the director said. 

A department survey found that almost all parents are willing to let their children get Covid-19 vaccination.

Ho Hong The, a father of an 11-year-old girl in Nam Tu Liem District, told The Hanoi Times that his family did not hesitate when deciding to vaccinate his daughter against the novel coronavirus.

“I saw that overseas vaccinations have also been rolled out for children. I don't feel too worried as only vaccination can protect our children's health amid the pandemic. I hope that the vaccination will take place most safely and effectively so that all parents and students can feel confident when taking their children for vaccination,” Hong The said.

Le Thi Thanh Tam, deputy head of the Education and Training Department of Nam Tu Liem District, was excited about talking with The Hanoi Times that right after the district People's Committee’s guideline, all schools in the district sent notices and consultancy to parents for Covid-19 vaccination next Monday [April 18].

“The number of students who will be vaccinated in the first phase in our district is 1,140 sixth grade students. We will try to complete the vaccination for this group on April 18 and 20. Today, schools are actively coordinating with health workers, preparing facilities and necessary conditions to ensure the safety for vaccination tomorrow,” said Tam.

Vietnam began Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 5-11 on April 14, with 160 sixth graders in the northern Quang Ninh province. Other localities are expected to begin vaccination next week.

The country has about 11.8 million children from 5-11 years old eligible for Covid-19 vaccination, the health ministry said, adding that some 3.6 million of these children have recovered from the disease and will be vaccinated three months later.

The followings are some images of the first day of Hanoi sixth graders getting Covid-19 vaccination:

Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha inspects Covid-19 vaccine injection in the outskirt district of Ha Dong. Photo: Thien Tam

Students at Le Quy Don Secondary School in Ha Dong District are counseled before vaccination. Photo: Minh Quyet

Screening for students at Le Quy Don Secondary School in Ha Dong District. Photo: Thien Tam

A health worker injects the Covid-19 vaccine into 6th-grade students at Le Quy Don Secondary School. Photo: Minh Quyet

Covid-19 vaccination for a 6th grader at Viet Long Secondary School in Hanoi’s suburban district of Soc Son. Photo: Trong Tung

Vaccination against Covid-19 for 6th-grade students at Hong Minh Secondary School in Hanoi's suburban district of Phu Xuyen on April 17 morning. Photo: Huu Hai