Nghe An: Stepping up vaccination efforts and proactively preventing and controlling disease outbreaks.
(Baonghean.vn) - Building on the achievements of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in general and the "Autumn Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign" in particular, Nghe An will continue to focus on, direct, and effectively implement this activity in the coming time to effectively prevent and control various diseases.
The Autumn Campaign was highly effective.
Compared to two weeks ago, Nghe An has significantly improved its Covid-19 vaccination rate, especially the number of people receiving the 3rd and 4th doses. Specifically, as of August 15, 2022, only 41.3% of people over 18 years old in Nghe An had received the 4th dose; 50.6% of children aged 12 to 17 had received the 3rd dose; 74.2% of children aged 5 to 11 had received the 1st dose; and 37.7% of children aged 5 to 11 had received the 2nd dose.
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| Children aged 5 to 11 receive COVID-19 vaccinations in Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Chung |
According to information from the Provincial Center for Disease Control: As of August 31, 2022, Nghe An province had administered approximately 8 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Of these, 2,051,275 people aged 18 and over received the first dose (104.6%); 2,039,953 received the second dose (104.0%); 1,951,274 received the third dose (99.5%); and 298,390 received the fourth dose (80.6%).
For children aged 12-17, 264,861 received the first dose (104.1%); 255,701 received the second dose (100.5%); and 167,299 received the third dose (65.7%). For children aged 5-11, 339,137 received the first dose (91.4%); and 11,933 received the second dose (52.2%).
Thus, at this point, Nghe An has achieved the vaccination rate as directed by the Government; basically exceeding the national average vaccination rate.
The national vaccination rates are as follows: For individuals aged 18 and over, the rate for the third dose is 76.6%, and the rate for the fourth dose is 75.7%; for children aged 12-17, the rate for the third dose is 53.2%; for children aged 5-11, the rate for the first dose is 84.4%, and the rate for the second dose is 55.6%.
The only indicator where Nghe An falls below the national average is the rate of receiving the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years old… Explaining this, Dr. Chu Trong Trang - Deputy Director in charge of the Provincial Center for Disease Control said: Currently, there are still about 50,000 children aged 5-11 years old who have not received the second dose because the Ministry of Health has not yet imported and distributed the Moderna vaccine to the locality. When it is fully supplied, Nghe An will certainly be able to increase this rate.
According to Dr. Trang, the reason why Nghe An, which had not yet met the vaccination rate as directed by the Government, rose to become one of the leading localities in the country in terms of vaccination rate after half a month is thanks to the good implementation by all levels, sectors, and localities.The Autumn Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign"This campaign was launched by the province. All levels, sectors, and localities have been highly responsible in directing and implementing the campaign, organizing vaccinations, and encouraging people to get vaccinated."
The "Autumn Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign" launched by Nghe An province took place from August 15th to August 21st. The entire province completed the vaccination of nearly 300,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to eligible individuals. Vaccinations were conducted 24/7 at commune health stations. Health units created the most favorable conditions for people to get vaccinated; mobile vaccination points were set up in industrial zones and remote areas.
Dr. Chu Trong Trang also affirmed: The effectiveness of the "Autumn Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign" is very clear. While the number of new infections and severe cases in Vietnam is increasing rapidly, the number in Nghe An has decreased significantly. If in late July and early August 2022, the average number of new infections per day in Nghe An was approximately 200, by the end of August 2022, the number of new infections was below 100 cases/day (with some days having fewer than 50 new cases); there were no additional deaths.
Strengthen vaccination against polio and measles-rubella.
Building on the achievements made, in the coming period, Nghe An will continue to focus on directing and effectively implementing the Covid-19 vaccination program to proactively prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic. In addition, the province will also promote vaccination against other dangerous infectious diseases, including diseases such as...polio, measles, and rubella.
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| Give the child the polio vaccine. Photo: Archival material. |
Over the two years (2020-2021), the Covid-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to routine vaccination programs, significantly impacting vaccination rates in Nghe An. This poses a risk factor that could facilitate the resurgence of polio. Furthermore, a large-scale measles outbreak, occurring every 3-4 years, could recur in the locality in 2022 and 2023.
Polio, measles, and rubella are dangerous infectious diseases that spread rapidly and have the potential to cause large-scale epidemics. These diseases are common in children and can have many dangerous complications, such as: Polio causing irreversible paralysis; measles causing secondary infections like pneumonia and otitis media; and congenital rubella syndrome... all of which seriously affect the physical and mental development of children.
Facing the risk of a potential resurgence of polio, measles, and rubella, on August 31st, the Nghe An Department of Health issued a plan to implement a supplementary vaccination campaign using oral polio vaccine for children aged 1-5 years and injectable measles-rubella vaccine for children aged 3-5 years, aiming to protect the achievements in eradicating polio and proactively prevent and control measles and rubella outbreaks.
The plan states: Accordingly, in the third and fourth quarters of 2022, all children aged 1 to 5 years in high-risk areas will receive two doses of polio vaccine (regardless of their previous vaccination history with polio vaccine or combination vaccines containing an anti-polio component; except for children who received polio vaccine less than one month before the supplementary vaccination). It is expected that 118,870 children aged 1 to 5 years will receive two doses of polio vaccine.
In high-risk areas for measles, all children aged 3 to 5 years will receive one dose of measles-rubella vaccine (regardless of previous vaccination history against measles, measles-rubella, or measles-mumps-rubella; except for children who received measles, measles-rubella, or measles-mumps-rubella within the past month prior to the rollout). It is estimated that 23,685 children aged 3 to 5 years will receive one dose of measles-rubella vaccine.
Pharmacist Tran Minh Tue, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Department of Health, said: "The health sector has issued clear directives and guidelines on the steps and roadmap for implementing the polio, measles, and rubella vaccination plan, from investigating and compiling lists of eligible individuals to supplying vaccines, communication, and coordinating vaccination efforts… The Nghe An Department of Health hopes that all citizens will proactively bring their children for complete vaccination to effectively prevent these diseases."
The Nghe An Department of Health also requested the Department of Education and Training to direct the Education and Training Departments of districts, towns, and cities to guide schools in their areas to closely coordinate with the local health sector in developing plans, reviewing, compiling lists of eligible individuals, and allocating personnel and locations for the implementation of the vaccination campaign in schools throughout the area.
The People's Committees of districts, towns, and cities are requested to develop plans for implementing the polio and measles-rubella vaccination campaign for children in 2022 in their localities; mobilizing departments, agencies, and organizations to participate in propaganda, mobilization, and participation in the polio and measles-rubella vaccination campaign for children through various appropriate and diverse forms.
