HCM City's health sector proposes buying 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine
The Ho Chi Minh City Health Department has recently submitted to the municipal People’s Committee a proposal for purchasing 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from an US producer to meet local demand.
HCM City (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City HealthDepartment has recently submitted to the municipal People’s Committee a proposalfor purchasing 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from an US producer to meetlocal demand.
It is estimated that there are 9 million people eligible forCOVID-19 vaccination in the city. This means it will need 18 million doses.
The local health department has secured a deal with the US-basedcompany Moderna, with the firm agreeing to supply the city with 5 million dosesof the mRNA-1273 vaccine in the third quarter of this year. The vaccine forpeople over 18 years old is recognised by the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) as safe, highly effective, and having no serious side effects.
According to data from FDA and Moderna, mRNA-1273 canprevent asymptomatic infections after the first shot. Its efficacy rate was94.1 percent among 30,000 people tested. For people over 65 years of age, therate was 86 percent. The most common side effects include fever, headache,muscle and joint pain.
According to the proposal, the money used for the purchase willbe sourced from the State budget for pandemic prevention and control work anddonations of individual and organisation sponsors.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health hasallocated to Ho Chi Minh City more than 9,000 doses from the first imported batch of 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine./.
Vietnam launches its COVID-19 inoculation drive on March 8 morning, administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to medical workers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and northern Hai Duong province – the country’s biggest pandemic hotspot at present.
Vietnam has proposed the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) consider the issuance of regulations on prioritising COVID-19 vaccinations for sailors regardless their nationalities, thus minimising the risk of pandemic spreading among the group.
Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours to 6:00 am on March 9, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
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.
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (Source: AFP/VNA) 
