Nguyễn Thị Liên Hương, deputy minister of Health (sixth left), and Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Việt Nam (seventh left) with participants at the Friday's event. — Photo courtesy of UNICEF in Viêt Nam

HÀ NỘI — The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Việt Nam on Friday concluded the “Safe Journeys – protect yourself, your family and loved ones” campaign to provide the public with accurate information on COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

At the ceremony in Hà Nội that looked back at the nine-month journey, Nguyễn Thị Liên Hương, deputy minister of Health said that the Government has focused all its resources on accelerating COVID-19 vaccination coverage as an important and decisive measure in the process of safe, flexible adaptation and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As of December 14, 2022, a total 265,077,045 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been safely administered, making Việt Nam one of the countries with the highest rate of COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the world,” she said.

“The result is partly due to communication efforts that have encouraged people to actively participate in safe vaccination against COVID-19 and this campaign is a concrete example of that.”

“The Ministry of Health would like to thank the initiative and coordination of UNICEF and WHO Việt Nam in supporting and promoting safe vaccination,” she added.

In 2022, after two years of battling the COVID-19 pandemic, Việt Nam adapted to a new normal in order for the country to reopen with confidence. Still, there was an ongoing need to remain alert to outbreaks and new COVID-19 variants.

Recognising the importance of keeping people informed and alert to the situation, UNICEF Việt Nam, in collaboration with the MoH and the WHO, launched the “Safe Journeys” media campaign on 7 March 2022 to emphasise and reinforce COVID-19 prevention and control measures, including COVID-19 vaccination.

After nine months of execution, the campaign has achieved significant results through mass media and social media. Specifically, the campaign's messages have become popular and well-received among the public, reaching more than 60 million people and engaging more than five million people on Facebook.

At the event on Friday, Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Việt Nam, said that the 'Safe Journeys' campaign has brought important information to people in all corners of Việt Nam, especially the more disadvantaged groups, building their confidence in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, with the goal of ensuring no one is left behind in these efforts.

“The participation of leading health experts, pediatrics, celebrities, KOLs in the campaign has helped the messages effectively reach millions of people, convinced them to get vaccinated and reinforced the importance of complying with COVID-19 prevention practices. We are grateful for their support,” Rana Flowers said.

Angela Pratt, WHO representative in Việt Nam, said that in the new situation, "we still need three things: basic protection measures of hand washing and mask-wearing, ensuring children have full primary vaccination series, and all eligible adults to get their booster doses."

With the support of the Australian Government and implementation by UNICEF Việt Nam, the campaign played an integral role in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic in Việt Nam. TikTok Việt Nam also helped spreading the campaign messages. — VNS