Latest guidance on Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 5 to under 12 years
(Baonghean.vn) - The Ministry of Health requires localities to develop plans and prepare sufficient vaccination conditions to be able to deploy Covid-19 vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old as soon as the vaccine is allocated.
On March 28, the Ministry of Health issued Official Dispatch No. 1535/BYT-DP to the Department of Health of provinces and cities; Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute on Covid-19 vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old.
The Ministry of Health said that on February 5, 2022, the Government issued Resolution No. 14/NQ-CP on purchasing Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to under 12 years old.
To be ready for vaccination and achieve maximum effectiveness in using Covid-19 vaccines for children of this age group, the Ministry of Health recommends that the Departments of Health of provinces and cities continue to speed up the progress.Covid-19 vaccinationAdditional doses and booster doses for vaccination subjects according to the schedule as directed by the Government, the Prime Minister and the guidance of the Ministry of Health in previous documents.
Covid-19 vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old at fixed and mobile vaccination points and schools
Prepare to deploy Covid-19 vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old, specifically: Coordinate with the Department of Education and Training to review and make a vaccination list for children in grades 1 to 6 who are between 5 and 12 years old. For children in this age group who do not go to school, coordinate with local authorities to make a list.
Develop a plan and prepare sufficient vaccination conditions so that it can be deployed as soon as vaccines are allocated.
The vaccine used is the vaccine approved by the Ministry of Health for use in this age group. Dosage and interval between injections follow the instructions of the manufacturer and the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.
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| The Prime Minister has repeatedly directed to prepare all conditions for vaccinating children. Photo: Archive |
Coordinate with the Department of Education and Training to organize vaccinations in the form of a campaign, free of charge at fixed vaccination facilities, at mobile vaccination points and schools (for places where concentrated learning is organized at schools).
The Ministry of Health stated that the vaccination organization is carried out according to the regulations in Section III of the Guidelines for organizing Covid-19 vaccination sessions issued with previous instructions.
Parents and guardians must sign the Vaccination Consent Form.
Conduct pre-vaccination screening according to the instructions in Decision 2470/QD-BYT dated June 14, 2019, Decision No. 5002/QD-BYT dated October 29, 2021 of the Minister of Health.
Instructions on how to monitor and care after vaccination according to the instructions in Decision No. 3588/QD-BYT dated July 26, 2021 of the Minister of Health.
Conduct propaganda and mobilize people to bring children from 5 to under 12 years old who are eligible for vaccination to actively participate in timely and complete vaccination.
Organize training and provide technical support to provinces and cities to be ready to vaccinate children from 5 to under 12 years old against Covid-19
Regarding the Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institute, the Ministry of Health stated: The Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology develops guidelines for Covid-19 vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old, and organizes training for vaccination facilities nationwide.
The Institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Pasteur Institute plan training and provide guidance on vaccination for provinces and cities when necessary, and organize supervision and provide technical support to provinces and cities according to their assigned areas of responsibility during the vaccination implementation process.
Regarding Covid-19 vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old, on March 27, the Expanded Immunization Program, Ministry of Health officially announced that Covid-19 vaccine for children will arrive in Vietnam next week and will be deployed for vaccination from around the second week of April 2022 as soon as the vaccine inspection and certification procedures are completed.
Previously, on March 26,The Ministry of Health has sent a report to the Prime Minister on Covid-19 vaccines for children donated by Australia.
In the report, the Ministry of Health said that the Ministry of Health and the Australian Embassy had a meeting on the afternoon of March 22. At this meeting, the Australian side affirmed that it could provide about 13.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine for children.
The first batch has about 9.7 million doses of vaccine, including: 0.7 million doses of vaccine produced by Pfizer; 9 million doses of vaccine produced by Moderna. These vaccines all have an expiry date until July 2022, are available in Australia and can be transported to Vietnam in early April 2022 as soon as the procedures are completed.
The second batch includes about 4 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, donated by the Australian Government through UNICEF. Australia is finalizing procedures and is expected to deliver them in April 2022.
Australia will soon provide vaccine records so that the Ministry of Health can promptly license the vaccine for use according to regulations and transport it to Vietnam when approved.
In the report, the Ministry of Health proposed that the Prime Minister allow the Ministry of Health to receive 13.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine aid from the Australian Government to deploy vaccination from early April 2022.
