Health officials call on people to get COVID-19 booster doses
Vietnam is at risk of COVID-19 resurgence if people don’t get booster shots and local authorities stay negligent and fail to accelerate vaccine advocacy, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong told a Hanoi ceremony on July 5.
State employees and workers receive COVID-19 booster shots after the launching ceremony. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is at risk of COVID-19resurgence if people don’t get booster shots and local authorities staynegligent and fail to accelerate vaccine advocacy, Deputy Minister of HealthNguyen Thi Lien Huong told a Hanoi ceremony on July 5.
The event was held by the Vietnam General Confederationof Labour (VGCL) and the Health Ministry to launch the rollout of the third andfourth vaccine doses for state employees and workers nationwide.
Huong said as of July 4, more than 233 million COVID-19vaccine doses had been administered in Vietnam, raising the primary vaccinationcoverage among people aged 12 and above to approximately 100%.
Amidst the global uncertainties brought on by the pandemicand the current virus re-emergence in several countries, Vietnam continues detectinginfections of new variants and is facing the risk of new outbreaks, she noted.
Photo: VNA
With people and organisations lowering guard against thevirus, many cities and provinces have not been making fast enough progress ininjecting boosters, the deputy minister noted, adding that the percentage ofpeople aged 18 and more receiving the third and fourth doses only reached about67% and 31%, respectively.
Vaccination is the most effective tool against coronavirus, sheemphasised, urging all state employees and workers to have boosters inoculated onschedule.
Over the last two months (from April 26 – June 24), Vietnamreported 130,462 new cases of COVID-19 and 63 related deaths. Daily caseloaddeclined to below 700, the lowest in 12 months./.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has demanded units and localities nationwide to swiftly deploy the injection of the 3rd shots of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 12-17.
The Ministry of Health has issued its latest guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations, which asks all agencies to continue administering booster doses for those 18 and above, and complete second doses for those aged 5-12 within August.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered faster administration of the third and fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine as part of measures against the unpredictable pandemic situation, especially when the sub-variant BA.5 has appeared in Vietnam and raised the risk of a new wave of coronavirus infections.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the 15th meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on July 5 amid the appearance of the BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron.
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.
State employees and workers receive COVID-19 booster shots after the launching ceremony. (Photo: VNA)
Photo: VNA 
