Students in a District 3 school wear face masks in March. HCM City is all set to begin vaccinating children aged 12 to 17. – VNA Photo

HCM CITY – The HCM City steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control has announced vaccination plans for people aged 12 to 17, starting with the oldest demographic and moving down age groups.

There are around 780,000 children in the age groups, according to the committee.

Students will be vaccinated in their schools or safe sites chosen by their schools, while those who do not attend schools will be given their shots at sites around the city.

Children with underlying health conditions will get them at paediatric hospitals and general hospitals with paediatric departments.

Those already in hospitals will be vaccinated even if they are from other provinces and cities.

The city is waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Health to begin the campaign.

Besides, the vaccines need to be approved by the ministry and both shots should be of the same kind.

Health and safety regulations will be strictly followed, with medical personnel standing by to monitor health conditions.

Strict social distancing norms will be followed at the vaccination centres.

Parents or guardians will be kept in the loop at all stages, including signs to watch out for after the shots.

The Department of Education and Training has been asked to make a list of students from sixth to 12th grades for the vaccination.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will make a similar list of children not attending school or living at shelters it runs.

The city plans to work with the ministry to ensure there are sufficient vaccines.

Thủ Đức City to vaccinate children on October 25

Thủ Đức City in HCM City plans to vaccinate all 100,000 of its children aged 12 to 17 starting on October 25 after getting consent from their parents and guardians.

It will first immunise around 25,000 of them aged 16-17.

For the purpose, it will first set up 54 vaccination sites, and more if needed.

HCM City, Việt Nam’s COVID epicentre, has been focusing on inoculating its populace quickly, and around 80 per cent of its adult population has received both shots.

As of October 19, it had nearly 860 COVID patients under the age of 16.

The number of children across the Việt Nam contracting COVID during the current outbreak is a lot higher than in the past, and there have been deaths. – VNS