HCM City aims to complete injection of COVID-19 booster doses within next January

HCM City aims to complete injection of COVID-19 booster doses within next January (Photo: VNA)

HCM City – Ho Chi Minh City is striving to complete the injection of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines into all local adults within January 2022, earlier than the target set by the Ministry of Health in the first quarter of next year.

At a meeting on December 27, local authorities reported that last week, the number of new COVID-19 infections was under 1,000 each day with less than 50 deaths.

Head of the Office of the city Department of Health Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai said that as of December 27, the city had administered more than 14 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with 7.9 million people receiving one shot, 6.9 million getting two shots and more than 438,000 receiving three shots.

She said that the city Department of Health has coordinated with local public and private clinics to mobilise personnel for vaccination activities.

Nguyen Hong Tam, Vice Director of the city Centre for Disease Control, held that as big holidays are coming and direct learning is being expanded, the number of infections will rise. However, the city has been ready for responding, he added.

The city has allowed ninth and 12th graders to learn in-person at schools since December 12. Thanks to good adaptation of students and schools, in the last two weeks, teaching and studying activities have taken place stably and safely.

Basing on the good results, the city has decided to continue to allow ninth and 12th graders to learn at school this week.

Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the city Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control and economic recovery, said that as of December 23, the city discovered 47 infections in schools. All the cases have been handled in line with a safe procedure, he said.

Hai said that the city is considering the organisation of face-to-face learning to other grades in the coming time.