Vietnam is at risk of COVID-19 resurgence if people don’t get booster shots and local authorities stay negligent and don’t accelerate vaccine advocacy. (Photo: Dantri)

Vietnam is at risk of COVID-19 resurgence if people don’t get booster shots and local authorities stay negligent and don’t accelerate vaccine advocacy, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong told a Hanoi ceremony on July 5.

The event was held by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Health Ministry to launch the rollout of the third and fourth vaccine doses for state employees and workers nationwide.

Huong said as of July 4, more than 233 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Vietnam, raising the primary vaccination coverage among people aged 12 and above to approximately 100%.

Amidst the global uncertainties brought on by the pandemic and the current virus re-emergence in several countries, Vietnam continues detecting infections of new variants and is facing the risk of new outbreaks, she noted.

With people and organisations lowering guard against the virus, many cities and provinces have not been making fast enough progress in injecting boosters, the deputy minister noted, adding that the percentage of people aged 18 and more receiving the third and fourth doses only reached about 67% and 31%, respectively.

Vaccination is the most effective tool against coronavirus, she emphasised, urging all state employees and workers to have boosters inoculated on schedule.

Over the last two months (from April 26 – June 24), Vietnam reported 130,462 new cases of COVID-19 and 63 related deaths. Daily caseload declined to below 700, the lowest in 12 months.