Hanoi’s health authorities have prepared both facilities and manpower for the vaccination of some 680,000 - 840,000 children aged between 12 and 17 from November, according to Deputy Director of the municipal Center for Disease Control (CDC) Khong Minh Tuan.

Tuan said under the Ministry of Health, the local authorities have prepared plans to vaccinate children in line with a roadmap based on the Covid-19 situation and the availability of vaccines.

“Hanoi city is preparing equipment and sites to ensure the vaccination of children would run smoothly and safely. We will start administering vaccines to the children as soon as the Ministry of Health allocates inoculants. If there is not enough vaccine, the city will inject children of senior groups,” Tuan told The Hanoi Times.

Up to 840,000 children aged 12-17 are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination. Photo: Van Son

“The city will conduct mass vaccination for children, even those under 12 years old if the vaccine availability is strongly secured,” Tuan added.

He also noted that parents should not worry about the possible side effects after getting a vaccine because many countries have completed vaccination for children between the ages of 12 and 17 and even administered doses for those aged 5-11.

In addition, he emphasized the importance of medical screening before vaccination to obtain correct indications and conduct safe injections on the right subjects.

Several districts in Hanoi are preparing lists of children aged 3 to 17, but those aged three and older will start to get their first shot in early 2022, in line with the Hanoi Health Department’s plans, according to Truong Quang Viet, Hanoi CDC's deputy director.

He said that Hanoi has built two scenarios for the children vaccination, including inoculation at school once they are totally back to school and in the community if the Covid-19 situation gets worse.

The vaccination campaign for children is scheduled to take place nationwide from November which is said to be very necessary for children to return to school.

Ho Chi Minh City starts the campaign  

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has inoculated around 80,000 children aged 12-17 with the Pfizer vaccine as of October 29, after kicking start the vaccination program for those under 18 two days ago. Cu Chi District and District 1 became the first areas in this drive.

A girl from Luong The Vinh High School in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 receives a Covid-19 vaccine shot on October 27, 2021. Photo: Nhu Hung

No severe side effects were recorded and mild symptoms were effectively handled, said Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, the HCMC Department of Health, adding that the city aims offer the first shots to all children within seven days and another week for administering the second shots after an interval of three to six weeks.

Around 780,000 students will be vaccinated in the city, according to the municipal education department.

Senior secondary and high school students with two Covid-19 vaccine doses should return to class from December, Director of the HCMC Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Hieu said at today's meeting.

Hieu said each district would finish giving the first shot to all teenagers aged 16 and 17 within this week and then move on to junior groups.

The department on Oct 27 had proposed to reopen schools in areas with low and medium coronavirus risks. Schools must meet safety criteria, including social distancing. They must also be prepared to switch to online classes once the situation worsens.

The city has around 1.7 million students in over 2,400 schools. Except for Thanh An Primary and Secondary-High schools on Thanh An Island of Can Gio District, others are currently running online schooling.