Local residents receive vaccinations in Thủ Đức city’s locked-down area in HCM City on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thành Chung

HCM CITY — HCM City has deployed 1,200 vaccination teams that can administer 200 COVID-19 shots per team each day, according to the city People's Committee.  

The city, currently the biggest COVID-19 epicentre in the country with caseload nearing 100,000 in the fourth wave of infections, aims to vaccinate all people aged 18 and above against the disease.

People aged 65 years and above with underlying medical conditions, those who suffer from chronic diseases, frontline health workers, and other forces in COVID-19 prevention and control will continue to have priority.

People aged 65 years and above with underlying medical conditions and those who suffer from chronic diseases will no longer have to go to hospitals for vaccinations.

People who were rejected in previous vaccination drives because of underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure will now be invited to the vaccination sites.

The vaccination site staff will send a message about the specific time and address of the site to people in order to avoid overcrowding at the site.

The vaccination period can extend beyond 6pm, city authorities said.

People should register for vaccinations via the Ministry of Health’s E-health app for phones using Android and iOS that can be downloaded at https://hssk.kcb.vn/#/sskdt and directly via the COVID-19 vaccination portal: https://tiemchungcovid19.gov.vn/portal/register-person.

The city is using public and private health facilities for vaccination sites. Each ward has three to four vaccination sites, instead of two previously.

The city is also using mobile vaccination teams including doctors, nurses, ambulances and motorbikes to its each residential quarter, especially in locked-down areas, to create convenience for people during the social distancing period under the Government’s Directive No16.

On August 1, Thủ Đức city was the first to deploy mobile vaccination teams.

Hoàng Tùng, chairman of the People’s Committee in Thủ Đức City, said that extending social distancing under the Directive No 16 had affected vaccination progress.     

Many aged 65 and more with underlying medical conditions in locked-down areas could not go to their local vaccination sites, Tùng said, adding that the mobile vaccination teams would now come to them.  

Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital in Thủ Đức City is in charge of the mobile vaccination teams.  

On August 1, 150 people living in a locked-down alley in Thủ Đức City’s Linh Trung Ward received rapid COVID-19 tests and were vaccinated. The lockdown in this area will be lifted eventually and a checkpoint will be set up.  

For the last eight days, the alley has not recorded any new COVID-19 cases.

On the same day, two other mobile vaccination teams were sent to dormitories at the HCM City Industry and Trade College; and the University of Culture to provide vaccines to frontline forces in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Dr Võ Ngọc Sơn of Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital who is with team No 2 said the period of post-vaccination observation had been shortened to 15-20 minutes, instead of 30 minutes previously.

People who receive vaccinations should call doctors at local health centres if they have health problems after the injection.  

Relatives living with health workers and other forces in COVID-19 prevention and control on July 27 were vaccinated following the Department of Health’s instruction.  

According to the department’s statistics, 144,970 people were vaccinated on August 1, the highest daily figure ever in the city to date, bringing the total to 767,885 in the fifth vaccination phase that started on July 22.

As of July 31, HCM City had administered a total of nearly 3 million doses to 22.3 per cent of people aged 18 years and above.

It is expected that an additional five million doses will be provided this month in the city. — VNS