HCM City aims to complete injection of COVID-19 booster doses within next January
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.
HCM City aims to complete injection of COVID-19 booster doses within next January (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – 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.
Pupils at Trung Vuong high school in District 1 measure body temperature before entering school (Photo: VNA)
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./.
Ho Chi Minh City on December 10 began to administer booster vaccine shots for high-risk groups and people aged 18 and above who had received 2 doses of the vaccine after 6 months.
Nearly 150,000 9th and 12th graders in Ho Chi Minh City returned to school on December 13 after a long time of learning online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City has donated 210 oxygen generators and 200 million VND (8,722 USD) to the city and its neighbouring southern provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Tien Giang serving the combat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ho Chi Minh City’s Vietnam Fatherland Front on December 27 held a ceremony honouring 20 religious volunteers who have completed their task of supporting frontline forces at COVID-19 treatment hospitals in the city.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
HCM City aims to complete injection of COVID-19 booster doses within next January (Photo: VNA) 
Pupils at Trung Vuong high school in District 1 measure body temperature before entering school (Photo: VNA) 
