Vietnam Health Ministry Announces New COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has announced updated guidelines for COVID-19 vaccinations to enhance immunity, particularly among high-risk groups, local media reported.
This update follows recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Ministry's Vaccine Advisory Council, given the unpredictable global COVID-19 situation with emerging variants.
Under the latest guidelines, the prioritized groups for vaccination include healthcare workers, individuals over 50, those with underlying health conditions, unvaccinated adults over 18, and pregnant women.
For vaccination doses, individuals who have not been vaccinated should receive one dose immediately, while those already vaccinated should receive a booster at least six months after their last dose. Pregnant women are advised to receive one dose per pregnancy at any stage, with a preference for the middle trimester.
On October 19, 2023, the Ministry reclassified COVID-19 from a group A infectious disease to group B. COVID-19 is now managed sustainably, with vaccination being a key strategy from 2023-2025.
To date, over 266.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Vietnam, achieving near 100% coverage for basic doses among those aged 12 and older, and 89.6% for the fourth dose among high-risk individuals aged 18 and above.
At a conference in late January 2024, the Ministry reported that the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology is storing over 432,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which are valid until the end of September 2024.