A resident in HCM City receives a second COVID-19 vaccine shot in July. HCM City has set up a telephone number for people aged 18 and above who have yet to receive their first shot. They can register by sending an SMS message. – VNA Photo Hồng Giang

HCM CITY – HCM City’s Department of Information and Communication has set up a telephone exchange number for residents who have yet to receive their first COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Adults aged 18 and above in HCM City who have not received their first shot can send an SMS message to 8066 with the description “MUI1 FullName BirthYear District”. For instance, a message can be sent as “MUI1 NguyenVanA 1960 BinhChanh” to 8066.

Lists of registered residents will be sent to People’s Committees in districts and Thủ Đức City.

HCM City is focusing on vaccinating all adults, with or without permanent residency.

The city originally aimed to have all people aged 18 and above to have their first shot by September 15 and second shots by the end of the year, but some people have still not received their first shot. 

The city’s Department of Health recently asked districts and Thủ Đức City to tally up and send to the department lists of the number of adults who have not received their first shot.

HCM City, with an adult population of 7.2 million, has given more than 6.8 million adults aged 18 and over their first vaccine shot, and 2.1 million aged 18 and over their second shot.

The city is preparing to gradually reopen its economy while staying safe from the pandemic. It will implement a COVID-19 green card system to identify vaccinated residents who will be allowed to engage in certain activities depending on how many shots they have received.

The city is Việt Nam’s COVID-19 epicentre, with 341,000 positive cases found. – VNS