A mobile COVID-19 vaccination unit in Thủ Đức City’s Linh Trung Ward on August 2. HCM City plans to fully vaccinate everyone aged 18 and over by the end of the year. – VNA Photo Thành Chung

HCM CITY – HCM City plans to fully vaccinate all residents aged 18 and above with two vaccine doses by year-end.

The vaccination plan is divided into four phases, according to Dương Anh Đức, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee.

The first phase will see 680,000 residents receiving their first shot by September 5, ensuring that around 90 per cent of adults aged 18 and above have their first shot.

More than 2 million residents will receive their second shot from September 6 to 10.

The second phase, which will last from September 16 to 30, will provide the remaining 10 per cent of adults (around 720,000 people) with their first shot. As many as 656,000 people will receive their second shot.

The third phase, from October 1 to 15, will provide the second shot to 2.6 million residents.

The fourth phase, from October 16 to December 12, will see 1.4 million people getting their second shot.

More than 8.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from various brands are needed in the city until the end of the year, with over 6.7 million of them to be used for the second shot.

Apart from vaccines received from the Ministry of Health, the city’s Department of Health is also working with a number of organisations to help the city buy more vaccines.

HCM City has told district authorities to make full use of local vaccination sites, carry out mobile-vaccination trips, and deploy rapid-testing teams to test residents prior to vaccinations.

Local authorities have also been asked to compile lists of residents who have already received their first shots so that vaccines can be properly allocated.

As of the end of August, 6.1 million people aged 18 and older had received their first shot, and 273,000 adults had received their second shot. There are 7.2 million adults in the city.

HCM City, the country's COVID-19 epicentre, has recorded over 215,000 positive cases since late April when the fourth wave began. – VNS