Reporters receive their first vaccination shot in June in HCM City. VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương |
HCM CITY — HCM City residents who were given the Moderna vaccine as their first injection will be inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine as their second shot.
Speaking at a press meeting on Tuesday, Nguyễn Hoài Nam, deputy head of the city Department of Health, said the city’s number of vaccines, including Moderna, is limited.
As many as 446,118 people in the city were immunised with the Moderna vaccine between August 1 and 15.
The recommended interval between the first shot and the second for Moderna is four weeks.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are no more Moderna vaccines in storage. The country so far has depended on donations for Moderna.
According to the city's Department of Health, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use the same mRNA technology and have a similarly high efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease.
Previously, a number of people in the city whose first shot was AstraZeneca received Pfizer as their second shot after AstraZeneca supplies ran out.
The city aims to have all people aged 18 and over receive the first shot by September 15, and the second shot by the end of the year.
The city currently has AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Vero Cell vaccines.
As of September 7, more than 6.5 million doses have been administered in the city, including more than 6 million for the first shot. As many as 700,519 people aged 65 and over and those with underlying medical conditions have been vaccinated. — VNS