Assoc Prof. Dr. Duong Thi Hong, Vice Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (Photo: Health Ministry)

The first lot of Moderna vaccine for children, donated by the Australian Government, arrived in Vietnam on April 8th and has been transported to Quang Ninh province for children. The vaccines will be transported to other localities for sixth-grade students next week.

Assoc Prof. Dr. Duong Thi Hong, Vice Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) said localities will inoculate children at their schools and residential areas. “The Health Ministry and the national expanded immunization program have instructed provinces to build detailed vaccination plans to ensure safety and high vaccination rate,” Hong said.

The Health Ministry says 11.8 million children from 5 to 12 years old are subject to this vaccination campaign. It is estimated that about 8.2 million children of this age group have not been infected with COVID-19.

Inoculation of two doses for eligible children will run until the end of the second quarter. Children infected with COVID-19 will be vaccinated after three months of recovery. The inoculation will be carried out at schools for grade six students first and gradually to lower ages.