HCM City to start inoculation of additional 930,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses
Ho Chi Minh City will begin the fifth phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive on July 22, with 930,000 doses to be administered, according to the municipal Department of Health.
A medical worker gives COVID-19 vaccine shot to a man in HCM City. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City will begin thefifth phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive on July 22, with 930,000 doses tobe administered, according to the municipal Department of Health.
It will be carried out at 20 hospitals, alongside 615commune- and ward-based vaccination sites. The fifth phase is scheduled tocomplete in two weeks.
During this phase, priority will be given to people withunderlying health conditions, those aged above 65, preferential social policyand welfare beneficiaries, the poor, the vulnerable, medical and otherfrontline workers.
The city has so far received 2 million doses of COVID-19vaccines from the Ministry of Health. The ministry plans to supply three millionmore doses to the city in late August and early September, raising the totaldoses sent to the city to 5 million.
As of July 21 morning, HCM City has reported 39,526coronavirus cases since the fourth wave hit Vietnam in late April, making itthe country’s largest hotspot. More than 3,600 COVID-19 patients have beendischarged from hospitals as of July 20, according to the city’s Department ofHealth said./.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh demanded ministries, sectors, and localities reinforce all forces to ramp up the COVID-19 combat while addressing an unscheduled meeting with the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on July 19.
Vietnam is expected to receive 3 million doses of Moderna vaccine donated by the US government through COVAX facility this week, said Prof. Dr. Dang Duc Anh, Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology on July 19.
Over 70 percent of workers in industrial parks (IPs) in the northern province of Quang Ninh have been vaccinated against COVID-19, said the management board of the provincial IPs.
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.
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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.
A medical worker gives COVID-19 vaccine shot to a man in HCM City. (Photo: VNA)
