An elderly woman with underlying health conditions get vaccinated in HCM City's District 3. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

The allocated vaccines are part of more than 1 million doses delivered to Việt Nam.

Another 414,880 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, donated by the UK Government, were given to Hà Nội.

The same day, the ministry adjusted an earlier decision on allocating COVID-19 vaccines for the 16th time, giving HCM City 319,000 more doses and Hà Nội an additional 284,000 doses.

With the latest provision, HCM City has so far received the most COVID-19 vaccines among localities in the country with 4,075,270 doses, including those allocated to centrally-run institutes, hospitals and agencies based in the city.

There are an estimated 7 million people aged 18 and above in HCM City. The city has administered around 2 million doses so far. Therefore, in order to vaccinate 70 per cent of its population to achieve herd immunity, the city needs about 5.5 million more doses.

Meanwhile, Hà Nội has been preparing personnel and infrastructure systems to be ready for a massive high-speed COVID-19 vaccination campaign as soon as vaccines arrive in the city.

Currently, localities across Hà Nội are conducting vaccinations in the order of priority.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Đinh Tiến Dũng said that the city has plans ready to receive and inject vaccines in a timely and effective manner.

To reach the capacity of administering 200,000 vaccine doses per day, the city has set up fixed and mobile vaccination facilities with a total of 1,200 injection stations and 100 mobile emergency teams, Dũng said.

Hà Nội currently has 704 vaccination teams, while an additional 496 are in the process of being formed.

Major General Đỗ Thái Sơn, head of the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the Hà Nội Capital High Command said that vaccine storage facilities have been completed with a total capacity of 1.5 million doses as well as medical supplies and disinfectants serving vaccination activities. 

On August 3, 405,884 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered, raising the total number to 7.29 million. As many as 744,331 people have received two shots. — VNS