Ho Chi Minh City prepares for injection of 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose

The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has just issued Emergency Plan No. 1591 on organising the 2nd booster COVID-19 vaccine shots (4th dose) for people living in the city, in order to ensure a hgh vaccine coverage rate and create sustainable herd immunity.

Illustrative image
Illustrative image

According to the plan, there are three groups to be injected including: People aged 50 years and over; people aged 18 years or older with moderate to severe immunodeficiency; people in high-risk groups exposed to Covid-19 (health workers, frontline officers against the epidemic, workers, people working in industrial zones). Of which, people aged 50 and over are expected to number 1.9 million people.

Ho Chi Minh City plans to start injecting the 4th dose as soon as the Ministry of Health supplies the vaccine according to the principle that every unit that is ready and ensures vaccination safety will deploy it. The type of vaccine used will be an mRNA vaccine (manufactured by Pfizer or Moderna); the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, and vaccines of the same type as the 1st booster dose (3rd dose).

The 4th dose must be at least 4 months after the 3rd dose; Particularly for those who have contracted COVID-19 after the 3rd dose, vaccination should be delayed for 3 months from the date of infection.

For employees working or undergoing inpatient treatment at the unit, injections will be organised at the hospital. Cases that are difficult or impossible to move to injection sites will be supported with injections at home. Thu Duc city and other districts will also organise mobile injection points in each area.