A health worker in the northern province of Ninh Bình receives a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. —  VNA/VNS Photo Hải Yến

HÀ NỘI — A recent report by the Ministry of Health shows that dozens of localities in Việt Nam still have low coverage of third and fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses.

According to the ministry, more than 45.43 million COVID vaccine doses have been administered as third doses for adults aged 18 in Việt Nam, meaning that about 67 per cent of people of this age group received the third dose.

Localities with high third-dose coverage include Thanh Hóa (93.8 per cent), Bắc Giang (95.3 per cent) and Bến Tre (91.8 per cent).

However, there remain localities with low coverage, including Hải Phòng (43.1 per cent), Khánh Hòa (42.0 per cent), Đồng Nai (43.6 per cent), Cà Mau (39.0 per cent) and Hậu Giang (35.1 per cent).

For the fourth COVID vaccine dose, the country has so far administered about 4.62 million doses,  about 6.9 per cent of adults.

Localities with low fourth-dose coverage include Phú Thọ (1.2 per cent), Hải Dương (1.6 per cent), Bắc Kạn (0.4 per cent), Nghệ An (1.5 per cent), Quảng Nam (2.3 per cent) and Đồng Tháp (2.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, three provinces have high coverage of the fourth dose: Bắc Giang (24.7 per cent), Quảng Ninh (20.9 per cent) and Hậu Giang (15.6 per cent).

The third COVID vaccine short for people aged 12 to 17 have hit over 922,200 doses or 10.5 per cent of the age group. However, 25 localities across the country reported low administration of the third dose for people aged 12 to 17, including Hà Nội, Nam Định, Hà Nam, Bắc Giang and Phú Thọ.

The three provinces with the highest third dose vaccine coverage for people from 12 to 17 are Thanh Hóa (46,1 per cent), Tây Ninh (47 per cent) and Bến Tre (43,7 per cent). 

Dr Phan Trọng Lân, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, said that many people were concerned over the more potent side effects of the third and fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Each person will react to the vaccine differently," Lân said.

"Many people have anxiety before getting vaccinated, or because of pressures that they have in life at the time of vaccination, so they think that their fatigue and health problems are related to the COVID-19 vaccination. But it is often a coincidence.

"The vaccine is an achievement of medicine. Before it was used, it was studied and experimented with. Even when a vaccine is being used, further studies are continued. Over the past two years, billions of doses of vaccines have been used under the close supervision of each citizen, health authorities and the World Health Organization.

"With just a certain abnormality in a certain area, the vaccine will immediately be stopped globally."

According to the World Health Organization, variant BA.5 is spreading rapidly worldwide and has entered Việt Nam. 

"To prevent the disease, administrative measures like social distancing will negatively affect socio-economic activities," Lân said, adding that vaccination was a vital tool in disease prevention.

"When we get the third and fourth doses, we will strengthen our immunity and especially prevent the BA.5 variant. If infected with COVID, the booster shot will help us avoid complicated, serious development of the disease," Lân said.  VNS