85 percent of Covid deaths are unvaccinated: health ministry

At a conference regarding plans for the medical field in 2022, the Ministry of Health stated the number of severe Covid-19 cases have dropped by two-thirds compared to the heights of the coronavirus crisis back in August and September 2021.

Most of the deceased are elderly people and those with underlying conditions. A total 85 percent are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

By the end of December 2021, around 48 percent of deaths were aged above 65 and those with underlying conditions, while 36 percent were aged 50-56, 15 percent aged 18-49 and 0.42 percent, below 18.

While the number of deaths per day have dropped from 300-350 to around 200, such a figure is still high, according to the health ministry. Several localities and medical facilities lack sufficient personnel and medical capabilities to deal with the rising number of cases, it added.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be put completely under control within 2022, owing to the presence of new variants, and the fact that cases would increase even among the vaccinated.

The medical field therefore would continue to increase its treatment capabilities to reduce the number of severe cases and deaths and increase access to medical services for Covid-19 patients.

Vietnam has so far recorded over two million Covid-19 cases and over 36,000 deaths. As many as 78.7 million people have received their first Covid-19 vaccine shots, 73.7 million have received their second, and 20.6 million, their third.