A sixth-grade student gets a COVID-19 shot in HCM City. The city has instructed districts to set up more vaccination sites as part of its efforts to immunise children before the start of the next school year. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City has instructed its districts to set up more COVID-19 vaccination sites for children in August.

Only 46.9 per cent of children aged five to 11 have so far got the first dose and 24.3 per cent the second.

In the case of children aged 12 to 17 only 19.86 per cent have received a booster shot.

The daily COVID caseload has been rising slightly due to the new contagious sub-variants Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, though intensive case numbers remain steady.

The city is now focusing on vaccinating all children under 18 before the school year starts in September, and so has instructed all districts to facilitate this.

But its Department of Health reported that on August 1 inspection teams found that three districts had yet to set up vaccination sites.

Some others do not have enough sites.

Children can get their jabs at schools or community vaccination sites, and district steering committees have been instructed to apprise parents about the sites.

The city’s three paediatric hospitals have been told to ensure that sufficient vaccination teams are allocated to the sites.

The health department has told the Department of Education and Training to instruct schools to inform parents about the vaccination scheme. 

Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh Châu, deputy director of the health department, said vaccination is very important for dealing with COVID and reducing the risk for people who contract it.

Getting booster shots restores immunity against the disease as vaccines gradually wear off over time, especially for high-risk groups such as children, seniors and people with underlying conditions, he added. — VNS