Health Ministry proposes purchase of 22 mln Pfizer vaccine doses for kids aged 5-11

The proposal was made at a Thursday meeting, where the ministry noted that there were around 11 million children aged 5-11 who need to be vaccinated.

The government is yet to approve the proposal.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said a vaccination plan for children aged 5-11 needs to be based on experiences of other countries to ensure its safety and effectiveness.

In December last year, Chinh also instructed relevant authorities to consider and seek approval for a Covid-19 vaccination plan for children aged 5 and above so that schools can reopen for on-site classes.

On January 11, the health ministry had said it has prepared the plan and submitted it for the government’s approval.

A recent VnExpress survey of over 91,000 readers showed just 29 percent of respondents agreeing with vaccinating children aged 5-11 against Covid-19, while 69 percent said no.

Over 20 countries and territories have begun vaccinating children aged 5-11 against Covid-19, including the U.S., Canada, Spain and Italy. The WHO, however, is yet to make any recommendation on vaccinating this age group against Covid-19.

Vietnam is currently vaccinating children aged 12-17 against Covid-19. As of January 10, 7.9 million children had received their first shots and 5.9 million have received two shots.

Nationwide, all adults have received their first vaccine shots, 93.4 percent have received their second and 13.1 percent have received their third.