A third of parents still hesitant ahead of Covid vaccination for kids aged 5-11

At a Wednesday press meeting, Phan Trong Lan, head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, said a survey revealed that 60-80 percent of respondents agreed with Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 5-11, while the rest are hesitant.

Details about the survey, including its time, scope and the number of respondents, were not revealed.

A woman takes three primary grade kids to school in Hanoi, April 6, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

The vaccination campaign for children aged 5-11 would first begin in Quang Ninh before being launched nationwide next week, said Duong Thi Hong, deputy head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. The vaccines to be used are donated by the Australian government, with one million doses having arrived on April 8 and another two million coming Wednesday night, she added.

Children should only be vaccinated if they’re truly healthy, and vaccination should be delayed if there are signs of respiratory inflammation or Covid-19. Family members should monitor the kids and inform health workers of their health history, including possible allergies and other chronic conditions, Hong said.

Children with cardiovascular diseases should be vaccinated at hospitals for better monitoring, she said.

Two Covid-19 vaccines, one by Pfizer and the other by Moderna, are approved for vaccinating children in Vietnam. The Moderna vaccine would be used for children aged 6-11, while the Pfizer for children aged 5-11.

Vietnam currently has around 11.8 million children aged 5-11, with around 8.2 million yet to be infected with the coronavirus, the health ministry estimated. Their Covid-19 vaccination is expected to be finished in the second quarter.