Which Covid-19 vaccine will be used for Vietnamese children?

The Ministry of Health has decided to expand the vaccination target group for children aged 12-17. Faced with this issue, many parents are concerned about the type of vaccine and the reactions after vaccination for their children.

According to Dr. Pham Quang Thai, Head of the Expanded Immunization Office in the North, among the Covid-19 vaccines currently being injected, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for injection for people aged 12 to 17. Many countries are only using the Pfizer vaccine to inject children.

According to Mr. Thai, in the near future, there may be other types of Covid-19 vaccines that will be submitted for licensing for use in children in Vietnam. For example, the Cuban vaccine has been granted emergency use authorization for use in children in Cuba. However, Vietnam has not yet approved these vaccines for children.

Dr. Pham Quang Thai shared more,covid-19 vaccinePfizer's vaccine has been approved for the 12-17 age group and has been clinically tested for the under-12 age group. However, this vaccine is required to have additional subjects for clinical trials before the US FDA approves it for children under 12 years old. For the over-12 age group, the vaccine has sufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness to be administered to children.

Organizing Covid-19 vaccination in Vinh City. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In addition, according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health, parents or caregivers must sign a consent form before giving their children the vaccine. Regarding this issue, Dr. Pham Quang Thai said that these vaccines have not been clinically tested and officially licensed in Vietnam, so even though the vaccine has been officially approved in the US, Vietnamese people still need to follow the same procedures as with vaccines with emergency licenses.

"There are no reports that vaccines can affect genes. Vaccines do not integrate into the human genome, but only through the mechanism of protein synthesis in the extranuclear area of ​​some immune system cells to produce the virus's specific S protein, thereby helping the body produce specific antibodies," the Head of the Northern Expanded Immunization Office emphasized.

Regarding monitoring post-vaccination reactions in children, Dr. Pham Quang Thai said that there have been cases of myocarditis after Covid-19 vaccination in children, although they are very rare and if they do occur, they respond well to treatment and do not leave any sequelae for the children.

Children need to be monitored as carefully as other vaccines in the expanded immunization program and need to be monitored for a longer period of time than with the EPI vaccine. If there is a severe reaction, they need to be notified and taken immediately to a medical facility for timely guidance and treatment.

Previously, on October 14, the Ministry of Health issued a document on Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 12-17. The Ministry of Health said that Vietnam will expand the vaccination target for children aged 12-17 according to the roadmap from high to low age (first vaccinating for ages 16-17 and gradually lowering the age) according to the progress of vaccine supply and the epidemic situation in the locality.

According to Dr. Pham Quang Thai, Head of the Expanded Immunization Office in the North, among the Covid-19 vaccines currently being injected, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for injection for people aged 12 to 17. Many countries are only using the Pfizer vaccine to inject children. Illustration photo

The type of vaccine used must be a vaccine approved by the Ministry of Health for use in this age group, according to the manufacturer's instructions and the Ministry of Health. Each subject will be vaccinated with 2 doses of the basic vaccine and vaccinated with the same type of vaccine.

At the same time, vaccination will be organized in the form of a campaign at fixed vaccination facilities, at mobile vaccination points and schools (for areas where concentrated learning is allowed at schools). Vaccination will be organized according to regulations of the Ministry of Health. Parents and guardians will sign the vaccination consent form (if they agree to vaccinate this subject).

Before vaccination, children will undergo pre-vaccination screening according to current guidelines of the Ministry of Health and the type of vaccine to be used will be prescribed according to the manufacturer's instructions. After that, they will be instructed on how to monitor and care for themselves after vaccination according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Health proposed a plan to organize Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 12-17 from October 22.

According to the draft, children across the city will receive the first injection within 5 days and the second injection within 15 days after the first injection is complete according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The city also proposed to organize vaccination at fixed facilities and mobile vaccination points, schools, with vaccines approved by the Ministry of Health for use in this age group. The vaccine is used in 2 basic doses/subject and injected with the same type of vaccine.