Hanoi plans to administer about 350,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses this year, Director of the municipal Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha said at a meeting with the Hanoi Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on April 13.

Ha said the capital city has inoculated 8,047 people against Covid-19, a result that surpassed the initial expectations.

All of the injected people are in good health status after the jabs, Ha said, adding that during the second phase of vaccination with 53,000 doses allotted, Hanoi will prioritize the medical officers and members of the local Covid-19 monitoring groups.

Local volunteer vaccinated with domestic Covid-19 vaccine named Nanocovax in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Tu

“Hanoi attains the highest inoculation rate nationwide in the first vaccination campaign. The city plans to vaccinate 350,000 people in 2021 and even more in 2022, when more vaccine supplies arrive and the homegrown jabs may get the green light for large-scale launch," Ha said.

For his part, Hoang Duc Hanh, the department’s deputy director, noted that Hanoi needs to stay vigilant as the coronavirus is still rampant in certain Southeast Asian countries, especially in the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia.

"The two countries share long borders with Vietnam, leading to threats of border jumpers bringing the pathogen into our country," Hanh stressed.

He pointed out that the capital city has not recorded any Covid-19 cases in the community for two straight months.

Vice chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Chu Xuan Dung echoed Hanh's opinion, adding Covid-19 prevention measures also need to be further enforced.

Regarding plans for the second vaccination campaign, Dung asked the health department to orderly implement all steps, from communicating, training, to screening, vaccinating and monitoring recipients’ health post-injection, thereby minimizing possible unwanted incidents.

“The list of residents eligible for the second vaccination period must be compiled thoroughly. Mistakes are not allowed as they would result in people's loss of trust in the authorities,” said Dung.

He also emphasized the importance of public communication, capacity training, as well as strict adherence to immunization protocols to minimize the risk during the second vaccine roll-out.

Vietnam aims to immunize 70% of its population this year. The country has inoculated almost 60,000 citizens against Covid-19 with a vaccine produced by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca since the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign was launched on March 8.

At the time of writing, the country has recorded 2,717 cases of Covid-19, with 2,445 convalescents and 35 virus-related deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.