A sixth-grade student of the Hồng Bàng Secondary School in HCM City’s District 5 gets vaccinated against COVID-19 on April 16. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

HCM CITY — More than 230,000 children aged five to under 12 years old in HCM City have got their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, according to a report by the city’s Department of Health.

The vaccination of this age group began on April 16, when 200 sixth-grade students became the first batch to receive their shots.

Officials said the vaccination was necessary to ensure the health of students and allow them to attend classes in person. 

The city plans to inoculate nearly 900,000 children aged five to under 12, and this is expected to be completed by September this year.

To implement the vaccination campaign, the city has trained more than 7,500 medical workers and set up medical teams as well as medicines and equipment for emergencies.

It has also set up 109 vaccination stations.

About 30,000 sixth-grade students are expected to get the shots in the campaign.

The health department said that 93.5 per cent of parents of sixth-grade students have agreed for their children to be vaccinated.

Việt Nam began the campaign to inoculate children in the 5-11 age group on April 14 with the vaccination of nearly 200 sixth-grade pupils in the northern province of Quảng Ninh with Moderna vaccines.

The shipment of the first batch of Moderna vaccines, sponsored by the Australian Government, arrived in Việt Nam on April 8.

Việt Nam has so far approved two vaccines for use on children aged five to 11 - Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

The recommended gap between two doses of anti COVID-19 vaccines for this age group is four weeks; and both doses have to be of the same vaccine. — VNS